chromosome-engineering
Chromosome engineering is the deliberate manipulation of chromosomal structure to produce defined deletions, inversions, or translocations within an organism's genome. In plant science, this technique enables researchers to precisely dissect complex genomic regions, isolate genes responsible for key agronomic traits, and facilitate the transfer of beneficial alleles—such as disease resistance or stress tolerance—between species or from wild relatives into cultivated varieties. It represents a powerful tool for accelerating crop improvement by providing fine-scale control over genomic architecture that traditional breeding cannot achieve.
open_in_new WikipediabioRxiv · 2026-06-06
Scientists used CRISPR gene editing to rearrange large sections of chromosomes in aspen trees in a single generation, bypassing the slow traditional method that requires waiting for plants to reproduce sexually. The restructured chromosomes were stable as the trees grew and cloned, with no visible harm to the plants.
CRISPR targeting of repetitive satellite DNA sequences enabled megabase-scale (millions of base pairs) chromosome rearrangements in aspen in just the first generation.
Multiple diverse large-scale structural variants were generated simultaneously in a single editing event, bypassing the need for meiosis (sexual reproduction).
The large chromosomal rearrangements were mitotically stable through clonal propagation and plant regeneration, with no observable growth defects.
