Satellite DNA Editing Enables Meiosis-Independent Chromosome Engineering

Abstract

Chromosome{square}scale genome engineering in plants typically relies on locus-specific recombination during meiosis to select desirable outcomes, limiting its application in species with long generation times. Here, we show that CRISPR targeting of abundant satellite DNA enables multiplexed chromosome restructuring in aspen, generating diverse large-scale structural variants in the first generation. These megabase rearrangements remain mitotically stable through clonal propagation and regeneration with no obvious growth defects.