Sunday Evening News 491/ 2026
Weekly report on genetic engineering, genome editing, biotechnology and legal regulation.
September 2026-09-21 - 2026-09-27 Week 39
Meetings und Veranstaltungen
EU-Commission: Conference on Innovation and Resilience in the Agrifood Chain - Regulation on Plants Obtained by
New Genomic Techniques.
Thursday 3 December 2026, 09:30 - 17:00 (CET); Brussels
Press Releases - Media / Presse- und Medienberichte
Commission authorises and renews use of three safe genetically modified crops as food and animal feed
https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/sante/newsletter-archives/79470
Maize MON 87460; Soybean MON 94131; Soybean GMB151xDAS 44406-06
Informationsdienst Gentechnik: Deutsches Bündnis klagt gegen EU-Gentechnik-Verordnung
https://www.keine-gentechnik.de/nachricht/deutsches-buendnis-klagt-gegen-gentechnik-verordnung
Rast O.: Saat der Deregulierung
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/530273.landwirtschaftspolitik-saat-der-deregulierung.html
Testbiotech: Sicherheitsstandards für Freisetzungen von Gentechnik-Mikroben nicht absenken! Appell der Zivilgesellschaft
an die Europäische Union
Beyond GM: Ecologists denounce EU Commission plan to deregulate GM microorganisms
https://beyond-gm.org/eu-deregulation-gm-microorganisms/
Ecologist’s view on COM (2025) 1031 – environmental release of genetically modified microorganisms (GMM
New UN report on farmers’ rights to seeds : these rights continue to be violated, including in the EU
MESHAKA D.: NGT and patents: the EU has chosen to ignore the US precedent
https://infogm.org/en/ngt-and-patents-the-eu-has-chosen-to-ignore-the-us-precedent/
Only some selected press releases or media reports are listed here. The daily up-date of the press releases and
media reports are ►here: September Week 39
Publications – Publikationen
Ferrari A., Dumont A.F., F. Moreno J., Terron A. et al. (2026): Expanding the weight of evidence for insecticidal protein risk
assessment. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 172, 106223 | 10.1016/j.yrtph.2026.106223
Insecticidal proteins expressed in genetically modified (GM) crops represent a sustainable and effective alternative for controlling insect and nematode pests and constitute a significant portion of the GM crop portfolio. Proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are currently the most extensively studied and widely used, particularly those belonging to the Cry class.
In addition to Cry proteins, other insecticidal proteins from different classes have been developed. However, for many of these, information on their mode of action (MoA) and host receptors remains limited.
Over the past two decades, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has evaluated more than 70 applications for GM crops expressing 24 different insecticidal proteins. These proteins belong to various classes, and the level of available information regarding their MoA varies considerably.
This review aims to summarise the evidence currently available to EFSA on the MoA of insecticidal proteins expressed in GM crops. It also seeks to identify areas where further understanding of receptor binding and protein function could support the continued development of safety assessment strategies, with the goal of reducing reliance on animal studies as part of a more refined risk assessment approach.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0273230026001960
Mundorf J. and Samson Simon S.(2026): Molecular Verification Requirements for Category 1 New Genomic Technique
Plants under Regulation (EU) 2026/1388. Trends in Plant Breeding and Genetics Int. J. Mol. Sci. 27 (19), 8475|https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27198475
The European Union (EU) recently adopted Regulation (EU) 2026/1388 for plants developed with new genomic techniques (NGTs). Under this Regulation, Category 1 NGT plants are exempt from most EU requirements applicable to genetically modified organisms, provided that they meet, among other things, the criteria of equivalence defined in Annex I. Although these criteria consist of simplified molecular characteristics and numerical thresholds, their molecular, analytical, and regulatory verification is more demanding than the legislative wording may suggest at a first glance. Demonstrating compliance requires comprehensive identification of relevant genetic modifications, alignment with genome annotations, evaluation of the gene pool for conventional breeding, assessment of polyploid genomes, and attribution of genetic changes to the use of NGTs. Accordingly, enforcement of Annex I will require robust technical guidance defining sequencing standards, bioinformatic tasks, annotation requirements, attribution specifications, and harmonized counting methodologies. To this end, we propose a seven‐step workflow from data‐generation to regulatory evaluation in order to ensure a reliable and standardized verification process for Category 1 NGT categorization.
https://www.preprints.org/frontend/manuscript/bbe275db3341b5c5c02e250adcc3fd9d/download_pub
Dong, C.Y., Fei, C.J., McCarl, B.A. et al. (2026): Genetically engineered crop adoption support yields and cultivation under
climate change. Nat. Clim. Chang | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-026-02737-3
Climate change is altering agricultural production conditions by intensifying heat stress, precipitation extremes and pest pressures. One way of adapting to such changes involves development of plant varieties for increased resilience. Here we conduct a US national-level spatial analysis of the impacts of genetically engineered (GE) crop adoption over the past four decades to show that GE adoption is broadly associated with yield benefits. We show higher yields and lower yield volatility for corn and soybean, with partial attenuation of adverse climate effects on yield, and more modest effects for upland cotton, implying that GE development and associated forces have improved resilience to climate-induced stress. Moreover, GE crop adoption is shown to contribute to dampening the northward shift in US crop cultivation driven by climate change. These results demonstrate that GE crops have functioned not only as productivity-enhancing tools but also as key instruments of climate adaptation.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-026-02737-3
Mishra S., Rehan S., Barekzai A.-M., Sharma A., Raghav A. (2026): Emerging frontiers in genome editing: From CRISPR to
next-generation technologies. Methods 253, 71-84 | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymeth.2026.05.011
Genome editing has revolutionized molecular biology. It offers precise modification of genetic material across diverse organisms. This review outlines the evolution of genome editing technologies from homologous recombination to advanced Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-associated protein 9 (CRISPR-9) based systems that now dominate the field. Early methods, such as Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFNs) and Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs), established the foundation for site-specific DNA cleavage. However, they were limited by complexity and cost. The advent of the CRISPR–Cas systems, particularly CRISPR–Cas9, transformed the landscape due to their simplicity, high efficiency, and adaptability. Variants such as CRISPR–Cas12a, base editors, and prime editors enhanced editing precision. They enable single-nucleotide modifications and targeted insertions without double-strand breaks. Emerging tools such as CRISPR-associated transposases, recombinase fusions, and RNA-targeting Cas13 enzymes expand the scope of manipulation beyond DNA to RNA. At the same time, epigenome editing, and gene drives present new therapeutic and ecological applications. Efficient delivery systems, both viral (Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV), lentivirus, adenovirus) and non-viral (lipid nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, DNA nano clews), remain critical for clinical translation. Future directions emphasize artificial intelligence–guided design, retroelement-based integration, and novel biomimetic delivery vehicles to overcome current efficiency and safety barriers. These innovations can help overcome current efficiency and safety barriers. Together, they are propelling genome editing toward precise, programmable, and ethically responsible therapeutic applications. Despite unresolved challenges involving off-target effects, immunogenicity, and germline ethics, genome editing redefines biomedical research, drug development, and disease correction. CRISPR-derived technologies now stand at the forefront of next-generation genetic medicine.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1046202326001313
Helmy M. Youssef H.M., Helmi R.Y., Börner A., Sakr M.M., El-Soda M. (2029): From Association to Causality: Next-Generation
GWAS, Pangenomes, and Multi-Omics Driving Gene Discovery and Precision Breeding in Cereal Crops . Biology 2026, 15(18), 1673; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology15181673
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have become a central tool in plant genomics, providing high-resolution access to the genetic architecture of complex traits in cereal crops. This review observes the application of GWASs to biotic and abiotic stress responses and nutritional quality in rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), maize (Zea mays), and barley (Hordeum vulgare). However, conventional SNP-based GWASs may overlook structural and presence–absence variation, and significant associations do not by themselves identify the causal gene or variant. Recent methodological developments, including multi-locus and environment-aware models, can improve the detection of complex genetic effects, while pan-genomic and graph-based references broaden the range of genomic variation available for association analysis. Integrating GWASs with transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics provides additional functional evidence for candidate-gene prioritization and interpretation of associated loci. Fine mapping and functional validation, including genome-editing approaches, further help to test candidate-gene function. Together, these advances strengthen the progression from statistical association to biological interpretation and breeding-relevant genetic variation. This review discusses their current applications, limitations, and potential for improving cereal breeding.
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/15/18/1673
Zolfaghari A., Fraiture M.-A., Vanneste K., Stuyts A..et al. (2026: RiSpy: a feature selection-based fingerprinting framework
for accurate identification of genome-edited rice lines, Briefings in Bioinformatics 27 (4), bbag406, https://doi.org/10.1093/bib/bbag406
The European Union (EU) enforces strict regulations on the traceability and labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), including genome-edited (GE) lines produced through new genomic techniques (NGTs). Identifying GE organisms created by single nucleotide variations (SNVs) is however challenging, as a single SNV alone cannot unambiguously define a GE line.
Recently, we introduced the concept of generating a genetic fingerprint to distinguish a specific GE rice line. This proof-of-concept approach integrated whole-genome sequencing (WGS)-based characterization with the Illumina technology, the public 3 K Rice Genomes (3KRG) database, and statistical feature-selection tools, to select and combine key genetic elements, including GE on-target site(s) and cultivar-specific 2-SNV barcodes, into a unique genetic fingerprint.
In the present study, we expand this concept into a generalized data-driven framework allowing identification of multiple rice lines. Supported by newly developed bioinformatics and statistical feature-selection-based pipelines, this optimized strategy enables the generation of genetic fingerprints irrespective of a rice cultivar’s inclusion in publicly available databases like 3KRG. In addition, this refined strategy can leverage WGS data generated from both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) platforms for fingerprint generation and GE line identification. Using two distinct in-house GE rice lines from different cultivars, along with various publicly available WGS datasets, we demonstrated the robustness, scalability, and specificity of this approach for reliable GE rice line identification. Our findings provide a methodological foundation for data-driven traceability of GE rice lines, reinforcing regulatory compliance, supporting intellectual property (IP) protection, and contributing to the responsible implementation of EU GMO/NGT legislation
https://academic.oup.com/bib/article/27/4/bbag406/8748596
Kim, W. N., Y.-R. Choi, H. J. Kim, Y.-S. Chung, H. U. Kim (2026): Multiplex FAD2/FATB Editing Generates Ultra-High-Oleic,
Low-Saturate Soybean With Increased Seed Fatty Acid Content. Plant Biotechnology Journal 1–16 | https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.70758.
Oleic acid (18:1), saturated fatty acid (SFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels are important traits for storage stability and edibility. In this study, we aimed to develop high-oleic soybean (Glycine max) by simultaneously targeting fatty acid desaturase 2 (FAD2) and fatty acyl-ACP thioesterase B (FATB) gene families using CRISPR/Cas9. Considering the paleopolyploid genome of soybean, multiple sgRNAs were designed to target GmFAD2-1, GmFAD2-2, and GmFATB genes expressed during seed development. Compared with targeting GmFAD2-1 alone (~83%), additional editing of GmFAD2-2B, GmFAD2-2C, and GmFATB1a increased the 18:1 fatty acid content to over 90%. Editing of GmFATB significantly reduced the SFA content by more than 40% compared with wild-type (WT). Reduced absolute SFA content was also observed in GmFAD2-only edited lines with decreased GmFATB expression. Notably, all evaluated high-oleic genotypes in the Williams82-background showed higher mean total fatty acid (TFA) content than the WT, both per unit seed mass and per seed. Correlation analysis of 805 individual seed profiles from Williams82-background lines further characterized the relationship between 18:1 fatty acid composition and TFA content per unit seed mass. Gene expression analysis revealed no consistent increase in triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis genes, whereas the expression of sugar-dependent 1 (SDP1) was reduced. In contrast, genes involved in phosphatidic acid (PA) metabolism, including diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) and phospholipase D (PLD), were partially upregulated. These transcriptional changes support a hypothesis that altered lipid turnover may contribute to the higher TFA phenotype. Collectively, this study defines effective multiplex target combinations for ultra-high oleic, low-saturated soybean.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pbi.70758
Voichek M., Bernhard A., Lauterjung L., Duchek P. et al. (2026): Direct cell-to-cell transmission of retrotransposons.
Cell 189, 1–18 | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2026.08.047
Transposable elements are abundant in host genomes but are generally considered to be confined to the cell in which they are expressed, with the notable exception of endogenous retroviruses. Here, we identify a group of long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons that infect the germline from somatic cells within the Drosophila ovary, despite lacking the fusogenic Envelope protein typically required for retroviral entry. Instead, these elements encode a short transmembrane protein, sORF2, which bears structural features reminiscent of viral cell-cell fusogens. Through genetics, imaging, and electron microscopy, we show that sORF2 localizes to invasive somatic protrusions that contain retroviral capsids and establish physical contact with the oocyte membrane. In the absence of sORF2, protrusion formation and soma-to-germline transmission of capsids are abolished. Remarkably, sORF2-like proteins are widespread among insect retrotransposons and also occur in piscine nackednaviruses and avian picornaviruses. These findings reveal a noncanonical, Envelope-independent transmission mechanism shared by retrotransposons and non-enveloped viruses.
Levesque, S., Kawashima, N., Hwang, GH. et al. (2026): Targeted genomic integration and rearrangement using prime
assembly. Nature | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11024-2
Although therapeutic genome editing holds great potential to remedy diverse inherited and acquired disorders, targeted installation of medium-to-large genomic modifications in therapeutically relevant cells remains challenging1. Here we develop prime assembly, an approach that permits DNA sequence assembly and integration in human cells leveraging CRISPR-targeted dual flap synthesis. This method enables RNA-programmable site-specific integration of single or double-stranded DNA fragments. Unlike homology-directed repair, prime assembly is similarly active in dividing and non-dividing cells. We applied prime assembly to perform targeted exon recoding, transgene integration and megabase-scale rearrangements, including at therapeutically relevant loci in primary human cells. Prime assembly expands the capabilities of genome engineering by enabling the targeted integration of medium to large-sized DNA sequences without relying on double-stranded DNA donors, nuclease-driven double-strand breaks or cell cycle progression.