Negative-strand rna viral vector and plant genome editing method without transformation

A recombinant virus vector system, comprising:

• a) a polynucleotide sequence of a tospovirus, and
• b) at least a polynucleotide sequence encoding a sequence-specific nucleic acid modifying enzyme operably linked to a viral transcriptional cis-element;
• wherein said virus vector upon introduced into a plant cell expresses said sequence-specific nucleic acid modifying enzyme, and wherein said nucleic acid modifying enzyme targets and cleaves or modifies a specific genomic sequence in said plant cell;
• Optionally, said virus vector system further comprises one or more helper expression vectors encoding one or more RNA silencing suppressors.

A method for modifying the genetic material of a plant cell without the need for introducing exogenous genetic material into the plant cell genome, comprising:

• a) providing at least one plant cell to be modified;
• b) providing a tospovirus vector comprising at least one polynucleotide sequence encoding a sequence-specific nucleic acid modifying enzyme;
• c) introducing said tospovirus vector into said plant cell to express transiently said nucleic acid modifying enzyme;
• d) wherein said sequence-specific nucleic acid modifying enzyme targets and cleaves or modifies a specific genomic sequence in said plant cell, and wherein the cellular DNA repair machinery completes the modification of genetic material of said plant cell, and
• e) optionally, obtaining a plant with modified genetic material from said plant cell.