bioRxiv · 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.
