Aug 2026· Journal of Integrative Plant Biology· 0 citations· 39 references
Medicine
TL;DR
This optimized PE system substantially enhances PE efficiency in Cucurbit crops, providing an effective solution to common challenges such as low editing efficiency and limited heritability in these species.
Abstract
The prime editing (PE) system is a precise genome editing technology that works efficiently in monocots; however, its application is limited by low editing efficiency in dicots, particularly Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae plants. Here, we first significantly improved the transformation efficiency by introducing spectinomycin in cucurbits, then used the tomato elongation factor 1-alpha (SlEF1α) promoter to enhance PE protein expression, and incorporated the Csy4 ribonuclease to process pegRNAs, collectively addressing multiple constraints limiting PE efficiency in cucurbits. The optimized PE systems, particularly Csy4-PE6d, achieved an average desired editing frequency of 80.83% at targeted loci in cucumber via stable genetic transformation, with frequencies reaching up to 100% at certain sites. Moreover, Csy4-PE6d generated homozygous edits in 36.43% of transgenic lines and demonstrated robust editing activity in melon, pumpkin, and potato. Using the Csy4-PE6d tool, we generated heritable edited cucumber lines with dual resistance to bacterial angular leaf spot and downy mildew by targeting the CsSGR gene. Collectively, this optimized system substantially enhances PE efficiency in Cucurbit crops, providing an effective solution to common challenges such as low editing efficiency and limited heritability in these species.
It is concluded that bridging the gap between foundational CRISPR research and its real-world applications is imperative and future efforts should focus on democratizing tools via open-source platforms, advancing delivery systems, and fostering sustainable innovation through synthetic biology integration to fully realize the transformative potential of genome editing in organisms beyond model organisms.
S. Sarsaiya, Archana Jain, Jishuang Chen et al.· Biotechnology Advances· 2 citations
It is argued that formation of a tumour-intrinsic niche is a prerequisite for BRAF-mutant CRC seeding to distant organs and that interference with niche formation may help avoid metastatic relapse.
J. Bugter, L. El Bouazzaoui, E. Küçükköse et al.· bioRxiv· 2 citations
This review summarizes emerging therapeutic strategies for EOC, their mechanisms of action, and their potential to overcome treatment resistance, and covers molecularly targeted therapies, immunotherapies, metabolic and epigenetic approaches, cellular and gene therapies, targeted drug-delivery systems, and locoregional and physical modalities.
Zofia Pietrasik, Mikołaj Kapała, Joanna Pietrasik et al.· Cancers· 0 citations
Genetic engineering (GE) and gene editing may endow traits to trees such as increased biomass and the production of novel biomaterials. Long-lived organisms such as trees might be subject to biotechnology-related risks that could be different than those of annual row crops. Those risks could be relevant to production in engineered plantations and beyond plantations to natural forests. Therefore, appropriate risk regulation is important to assure biosafety of commercialized engineered trees. In addition to gene flow via sexual reproduction, vegetative reproduction might play an additional role in environmental "exposure" risk relative to transgene dispersal in GE tree plantations. While vegetative reproduction is beneficial for preserving desired genetic traits during tree propagation, it may lead to proximal clonal spread in the field. Although the environmental risks associated with vegetative reproduction of GE trees are recognized in commercial forestry, there are few field-based environmental risk assessment (ERA) studies on dispersal risks of self-propagated GE trees. GE or gene editing of target genes involved in the vegetative propagation processes may be useful to mitigate environmental risks of clonal spread through vegetative reproduction. This review provides updates for recent field test results of GE and gene edited trees. Gene candidates related to vegetative reproduction including adventitious shooting (AS) and adventitious rooting (AR) are discussed herein as a means to mitigate unintended clonal spread from GE tree plantations.
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Huan Yan, Imtiaz Ul Hassan, Kai Yan et al.· Cell & Bioscience· 0 citations
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MIT News · Artificial Intelligence· news.mit.eduAug 17, 2026