Trends in GeneticsPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-03-10DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.016
Anna L Schwabe, Joshua S Havill
{"title":"A proposed framework for genetic verification and cultivar protection in cannabis.","authors":"Anna L Schwabe, Joshua S Havill","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.016","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) breeding lacks formal systems for cultivar registration or breeder protection. Misuse of 'F<sub>1</sub>' terminology obscures expectations of uniformity. We propose a genetic-based verification model using fingerprinting and registration to secure intellectual property, ensure cultivar identity, and strengthen transparency for breeders, growers, and consumers.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":"396-399"},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147437701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in GeneticsPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-02-25DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.002
Benjamin K Blackman, John M Burke, Ryan A Nasti, Marco Todesco, Ji Wang, Loren H Rieseberg
{"title":"Sunflower genetics and genomics: from fundamental evolutionary insights to crop improvement.","authors":"Benjamin K Blackman, John M Burke, Ryan A Nasti, Marco Todesco, Ji Wang, Loren H Rieseberg","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The sunflower genus, Helianthus, not only includes two crops (cultivated sunflower and Jerusalem artichoke) but also comprises approximately 50 diverse wild species that have served both as a model for foundational studies of adaptation and speciation and as a source of alleles for crop improvement. Extensive genomic resources, including genome assemblies, association populations, and a comprehensive expression atlas, have facilitated both evolutionary and agronomic studies. Despite these advances, sunflower remains recalcitrant to genetic transformation, which impedes functional analyses. The development of tools for functional genetics and genomics, including a graph-based pangenome, improved transformation methods, and doubled haploid technology, is needed to accelerate sunflower improvement and enhance its utility as an evolutionary model.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":"446-459"},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147312529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in GeneticsPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-02-19DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2025.12.008
Lordjie Marr O Morilla, Regina E Amoaning, Shumeng Luo, Riham G Moharam, Chien-Ling Huang, Shea Ping Yip
{"title":"Leveraging allelic imbalance in accessible chromatin to prioritize putative causal variants.","authors":"Lordjie Marr O Morilla, Regina E Amoaning, Shumeng Luo, Riham G Moharam, Chien-Ling Huang, Shea Ping Yip","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2025.12.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tig.2025.12.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have uncovered many SNPs associated with complex diseases, but identifying the causal genetic variants remains very difficult. This review focuses on allele-specific chromatin accessibility (CA) variants (ASCAVs)-which are SNPs that influence CA, binding of transcription factors, and gene expression-by integrating allelic imbalance analysis with assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) data. We discuss the underlying biological mechanisms, methodologies, and benefits of ASCAV detection by ATAC-seq, emphasizing how integrating ASCAVs with GWAS and multiomics datasets enhances the prioritization of putative causal SNPs for functional studies. By leveraging allelic imbalance in ATAC-seq, researchers can bridge the gap between GWAS signals and molecular mechanisms, advancing our understanding of gene regulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":"460-475"},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146260031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in GeneticsPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-03-24DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.013
Nicolas Svetec, UnJin Lee, Li Zhao
{"title":"Machine learning for evolutionary genetics and molecular evolution.","authors":"Nicolas Svetec, UnJin Lee, Li Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Over the past decade, the rapid expansion of large-scale data and advances in computational power have allowed machine learning (ML), especially deep learning, to reshape many areas of biological research. Evolutionary genetics and molecular evolution are also poised for a similar transformation. In this review, we discuss key advances and ongoing challenges in applying ML to the study of genetics and evolution, and we highlight the potential of artificial intelligence to connect genotype, phenotype, and evolutionary history.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":"423-433"},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13025824/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147516731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in GeneticsPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-03-26DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.003
Xuanzeng Liu, Jie Wang, Yuan Huang
{"title":"Formation and maintenance of genome gigantism.","authors":"Xuanzeng Liu, Jie Wang, Yuan Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The phenomenon of genome gigantism, defined as an organism's haploid nuclear DNA content (C-value) exceeding 10 gigabases (Gb), has been demonstrated to exhibit a substantial degree of variability in mutational and selective processes across diverse lineages. Recent studies of the genome and epigenome have highlighted the interplay between the proliferation of transposable elements, DNA loss dynamics, and coevolutionary host-silencing mechanisms in shaping and maintaining these massive genomes. In this review, we synthesize emerging insights into how mutation, drift, and selection collectively determine genomic scale and explore the ecological and evolutionary contexts that facilitate or impede the phenomenon of genome gigantism.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":"410-422"},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147534536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in GeneticsPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2025.11.006
David Gurney
{"title":"Investigative genetic genealogy is a revolutionary tool for justice.","authors":"David Gurney","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2025.11.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tig.2025.11.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) has helped to resolve over 1300 cases since its advent in 2018. To continue providing justice and answers in the nearly 700 000 cases that could benefit from IGG in the USA, training, funding, and better public understanding of IGG are necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":"393-395"},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145716632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in GeneticsPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-03-11DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.014
Davorka Gulisija
{"title":"Mechanisms of adaptation in rapidly changing environments.","authors":"Davorka Gulisija","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Adaptation in rapidly changing environments entails rapid shifts in phenotypic distributions or allele frequencies. This process hinges on the amount of genetic variation. Recent empirical work suggests that balancing selection can potentiate such adaptation, while theoretical studies highlight storage effects as plausible mechanisms underlying balanced polymorphism. Polygenic theory recently proposed that genome-wide shifts in allelic frequency distributions occur in response to sudden environmental changes. However, balanced polymorphism across numerous loci remains largely unexplored in polygenic models, despite being observed in nature. Bridging the gap between population genetics of balancing selection and polygenic models remains a critical challenge and is essential for uncovering mechanisms of adaptation in an increasingly variable world.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":"434-445"},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147445687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in GeneticsPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-03-19DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2026.02.009
Meidie Pan, Luoran Shang
{"title":"Amplification-free reading of double-stranded DNA.","authors":"Meidie Pan, Luoran Shang","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.02.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.02.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Detecting double-stranded DNA sequences typically requires enzymes to unwind and amplify the target. A new study by Yan et al. challenges this view by combining gamma peptide nucleic acid with multicomponent deoxyribozyme in droplets, achieving single-molecule sensitivity without protein enzymes or amplification, enabling concise, economical, and highly sensitive genetic diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":"400-401"},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147488392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in GeneticsPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-02-10DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.005
M Martijn Piet, Kees P J Braun, Bobby P C Koeleman, Remi Stevelink
{"title":"Monogenic no more: are all epilepsies polygenic?","authors":"M Martijn Piet, Kees P J Braun, Bobby P C Koeleman, Remi Stevelink","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.01.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The etiology of epilepsy has long been framed by dichotomies, classifying epilepsies as genetic or nongenetic, and genetic epilepsies as monogenic or polygenic. Emerging evidence challenges these divisions. Genome-wide association and sequencing studies show that both common and rare variants contribute to risk, with the phenotype of rare high-impact variants being influenced by an individual's polygenic background. Polygenic burden modifies penetrance, treatment response, and severity, blurring boundaries between common and rare epilepsies and between genetic and acquired forms. We argue that the concept of monogenic epilepsy is outdated and propose a new paradigm: all epilepsies exist on a spectrum shaped by the polygenic interplay of rare and common variants, with important implications for diagnosis, prognosis, and clinical care.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":"402-409"},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146167986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hassan A Hassan, Aleksandar Anžel, Bahar İlgen, Marina Luchner, Patrick Schramowski, Anja Blasse, Johannes U Mayer, Katharina Ladewig, Georges Hattab, Maximilian Sprang
{"title":"A safety-centric perspective on innovation and risk in the use of artificial intelligence in genomics.","authors":"Hassan A Hassan, Aleksandar Anžel, Bahar İlgen, Marina Luchner, Patrick Schramowski, Anja Blasse, Johannes U Mayer, Katharina Ladewig, Georges Hattab, Maximilian Sprang","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.04.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2026.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Adopting a safety-centric approach, this article explores how generative artificial intelligence (AI), and more specifically, foundation models for biological sequences, can exacerbate data quality issues, technical biases, and dual-use potential, particularly in critical applications such as clinical genetics, precision medicine, and pathogen engineering. This work centres on how misuse risks emerge throughout the innovation pipeline and how these intersect with the growing accessibility of generative genomic models. Particular attention is given to dual-use governance and infrastructure hardening in sequence analysis workflows. The work aims to provide scientists, regulators, and policymakers with a toolkit to discuss beneficial innovation in genomic AI while maintaining robust safeguards against harm and misuse.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147823391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}