BULLETIN 1
CRISPR-based Diagnostic Platform Detects African Swine Fever in 20 Minutes

 

Researchers from Shanxi Agricultural University and Capital Medical University have developed a new CRISPR-based diagnostic tool that can detect African swine fever (ASF) in just 20 minutes. The test's simplicity and reliability make it a powerful tool for early ASF detection and rapid response to potentially help curb future outbreaks and protect the swine industry.
ASF, which has a nearly 100% mortality rate in pigs, continues to threaten the industry due to the lack of effective vaccines or treatments. The new test, called sCRAM, offers a rapid and extraction-free diagnostic platform that could help farmers and veterinarians quickly identify and contain outbreaks. The researchers designed a one-tube reaction combining multienzyme isothermal amplification (MIRA) and a suboptimal PAM-mediated CRISPR-Cas12a system (37°C, 15 min) with a rapid nucleic acid release step (40°C, 5 min).
The process requires minimal preparation and produces results that can be seen under UV light or with lateral flow strips (LFS). Tests on 111 simulated and clinical samples of blood, plasma, and swabs showed 100% concordance with qPCR for UV readout and 98.20% for LFS readout, with 100% specificity and no cross-reactivity with other common swine pathogens. The findings of the study show promising results for use in the field, especially in areas with limited laboratory resources.
For more information, read the abstract from SSRN eLibrary.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21580

 

BULLETIN 2
Tiny Zinc-Finger Protein Key to Giant Tomatoes

 

A recent study has identified a tiny zinc-finger protein, named SlKNU, that acts as the master regulator of tomato fruit size. This protein functions as a molecular "brake," directly shutting down key stem cell genes to terminate floral meristem growth at the precise moment that determines the fruit's final dimensions.
To prove its function, researchers utilized CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to create SlKNU knockout mutants. By disabling this gene, the molecular brake was removed, resulting in enlarged floral meristems, an increased number of floral organs, and significantly larger tomatoes with more locules than normal plants.
This discovery highlights how genetic precision, enabled by CRISPR technology, can be used to fine-tune crop traits, offering new opportunities for breeders to develop high-yield, high-quality tomato varieties.
For more details, read the article in News Wise.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/ged/article/default.asp?ID=21568

 

SCIENTIFIC NEWS

PotatoMASH is a cost-effective marker system for genomic prediction in potato based on short-read haplotypes
Lea Vexler, Agnieszka Konkolewska, Stephen Byrne, Tom Ruttink, Maria de la O Leyva-Pérez, Jie Kang, Denis Griffin, Richard G. F. Visser, Herman J. van Eck & Dan Milbourne
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; November 3 2025; vol. 138; article 289

 

  

Key message
Amplicon sequencing and read-backed haplotyping enable cost-effective genomic prediction in potato, with SNPs and haplotags showing similar performance across 23 traits, supporting scalable breeding applications and competitive prediction ability with GBS.
Abstract
Genomic prediction (GP) supports plant breeding by accelerating genetic improvement; however, the high cost associated with dense genotyping platforms restricts their use in routine breeding. This study evaluates the efficacy of PotatoMASH, a cost-effective, low-density, amplicon-sequencing platform generating SNPs and short-read multi-allelic haplotypes (haplotags), for GP in potato. First, we compared the prediction ability (PA) achieved using 2,236 SNPs and 2,000–3,390 haplotags from 339 amplicon loci of PotatoMASH with previously reported PA values obtained from a high-density 43.6 k SNP GBS dataset. PA was only moderately reduced, by 14% for SNPs and 9% for haplotags, indicating that the platform offers a scalable alternative to GBS. We then applied it to a diploid panel for GP of 23 agronomic, quality, and morphological traits. Both marker types yielded medium to high PA (0.29–0.81) across the traits. Haplotags outperformed SNPs in 11 traits, while SNPs performed better in six, with no difference in the remaining six traits. We conclude that PotatoMASH, which facilitates the concurrent detection of both SNPs and haplotypes at a reduced cost, provides a versatile and economical genotyping solution suitable for integrated pipelines that combine marker-assisted selection (MAS) and GP in potato breeding.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00122-025-05073-w