Dear Colleagues,

Targeted genome modification is a powerful tool in research that opens up new possibilities for directly targeting and modifying genomic sequences in a simple and effective way by accelerating gene function analysis and that can speed up the plant breeding process by introducing favorable alleles. A major breakthrough in this field was the adaptation of the prokaryotic immune system CRISPR/Cas (clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated) for targeted genome modification. By combining the RNA- or DNA-binding property of the CRISPR/Cas system (nCas or dCas) with base conversion mediated by deaminases (BE or ABE), a further milestone in the field of genome editing could be achieved. Recently, a new technique called prime-editing was described, which allows the introduction of indels and all 12 base-to-base conversions (both transitions and transversions) without inducing DNA double-strand breaks. Currently, powerful systems are available for genome editing in plants. In addition, these techniques have been adapted for other purposes, such as the visualization of transcripts or the activation/repression of gene expression. New genome editing techniques are still being developed and improved for new plant species. In order to represent the great dynamics of the field, this Special Issue will collect articles (original research papers, perspectives, hypotheses, opinions, reviews, modeling approaches, and methods) that deal with the development, utilization, and application of plant genome editing.

Dr. Marek Marzec
Dr. Agnieszka Brąszewska
Dr. Götz Hensel
Guest Editors

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• Plant genome editing
• CRISPR
• Cas9
• Cas12a
• prime editing
• dual base editors
• TALEN
• ZFN