Researchers from Tel Aviv University have developed a method for genetically editing entire gene families, which causes changes in the taste, shape, and other characteristics of tomatoes – and enables adaptation to sustainable agriculture.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed an innovative method for gene editing in crop plants, which causes changes in characteristics such as the taste and shape of the fruit in tomatoes. According to the researchers, the technology may be suitable for a wide range of agricultural crops, and in the future lead to the development of improved and more resistant varieties.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications., was led by Prof. Ayalon Shani, Prof. Itai Meiros, and research student Amichai Berman from Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with Dr. Osnat Yanai from the Israeli company Natagenomics, and research students from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
According to Prof. Shani, "A technological race is underway worldwide to improve agriculture in light of climate change and the need to feed the world's population. Methods for precise gene editing such as CRISPR-Cas9 are revolutionary - but they have so far suffered from limitations in scale."
Berman adds: "The goal was to deal with the phenomenon of 'genetic redundancy' – a situation in which genes from the same gene family compensate for each other, so that editing one gene does not change the trait. Our solution: develop an algorithm that identifies appropriate CRISPR units for entire groups of similar genes – and perform simultaneous editing."
In the current study, 10 editing libraries containing about 15,000 different CRISPR units were constructed, each targeting a unique gene family in tomato. The researchers introduced the editing units into about 1,300 tomato plants, each with editing in a different gene group.
Next, we examined the development of the plants – size, shape, flavor, disease resistance, and nutrient utilization ability. Among other things, we identified varieties with a sweeter or less sweet taste than the control plants.
According to Prof. Shani, "We were able to accurately identify which genetic edits affect which traits – a significant achievement for modern agriculture."
Company NetaGenomiX received a license to market the new technology, with the aim of developing non-genetically modified (non-GMO) varieties that are suitable for climate change – and will benefit both farmers and consumers.
Berman concludes: "We believe that the method could be used in the future in other crops – such as rice – and will impact the entire field of plant science."
More info:
Amichai Berman et al., Construction of multi-targeted CRISPR libraries in tomato to overcome functional redundancy at genome-scale level, Nature Communications. (2025). TWO: 10.1038/s41467-025-59280-6
