Cisgenic

Cisgenic is a term used in genetics and plant breeding to describe organisms whose genomes have been modified using genes sourced from the same species or from a sexually compatible donor species. The defining feature is that the donor gene(s) could, in principle, be obtained through conventional breeding, since there is no introduction of genes from distantly related organisms. In practice, cisgenic modifications are achieved with genetic engineering or gene editing techniques, and the introduced DNA is a cisgene, typically including promoters and regulatory elements from the same gene pool.

Cisgenic approaches are distinguished from transgenic methods, where DNA from a different, often non-compatible species, is introduced. Intragenic modification is a related term used by some authors to describe rearrangements or regulation of a gene from the same species; the boundaries between terms are not universally fixed.

Potential applications include the development of disease resistance, pest resistance, or improved quality traits by tapping into existing gene variants. In potato and apple research, for example, researchers have reported cisgenic lines carrying resistance genes derived from cultivated or closely related potato or apple relatives.

Regulatory and public perception issues are mixed. Some jurisdictions regulate cisgenic crops as GMOs, while others emphasize their equivalence to conventional breeding or pursue case-by-case assessments. The distinction between cisgenic and traditional breeding is debated, particularly in contexts where modern gene editing enables precise, targeted changes without introducing foreign DNA.