Sunday Evening News 392 - Week 37 - 2024
Weekly report on genetic engineering, genome editing, biotechnology and legal regulations.
Spetember 2024-09-09 - 2024-09-15
Es war eine recht ruhige Woche. Auf dem informellen Treffen der Agrarminmister/innen in Budapest wurde die neuen genomischen Techniken nicht diskutiert. Wahrscheinlich war es sogar günstig bei der verhärteten Front einiger ost-europäischen Staaten einschließlich Österreich.
Nächste Woche (17.09.2024) berät der SCoPAFF über den Kommissionsvorschlag für die Zulassung von Mais MON 94.804. Sehr wahrscheinlich kommen die Mitglieder zu keiner Stellungnahme und reichen den Vorschlag an den Berufungsausschuss weiter.
Empfohlen werden die IVA-Studie und „The future of European competitiveness”.
It was a fairly normal week. At the informal meeting of agriculture ministers in Budapest, the new genomic techniques were not discussed. It was probably even favourable given the hardened front of some Eastern European countries, including Austria.
Next week (17/09/2024), the SCoPAFF will discuss the Commission proposal for the authorisation of maize MON 94.804. It is very likely that the members will not reach an opinion and will pass the proposal on to the Appeal Committee.
The IVA study and ‘The future of European competitiveness’ are recommended.
Heute Nachmittag (15.09.2024) ist der dreitägige 32. VFED-Kongress in Aachen zu Ende gegangen. Mehr als 2240 Teilnehmer habe sich für die 12 Themenkomplexes registriert. (Jany war Tagungspräsident). Da der Kongress online stattfand, war er handelbar, allerdings war es schon etwas seltsam im großen Hörsaal, der natürlich leer war, den Vortrag vor 450 Zuhörern zu halten.
The three-day 32nd VFED Congress in Aachen ended this afternoon (15/09/2024). More than 2240 participants registered for the 12 topics. (Jany was conference president). Since the congress took place online, it was manageaable, but it was a bit strange to give the lecture in front of 450 listeners in the large lecture hall, which was of course empty.
Meetings - Tagungen
BUND-online Diskussion: Weniger Regeln für Neue Gentechnik in Europa? Kritik aus der Wissenschaft
Press Releases - Media / Presse- und Medienberichte
Commission: The future of European competitiveness - Part B | In-depth analysis and recommendations
Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture delivers its final report to President von der Leyen
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_4528
Think Thank-EU-Parliament: Priority dossiers under the Hungarian - EU Council Presidency
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2024/762392/EPRS_BRI(2024)762392_EN.pdf
EU agriculture ministers meet in Budapest to discuss the farmer-centredness of the Common Agricultural Policy
https://hungarian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/news/informal-agri-10-9-en/
Building the future of EU agrifood – Encouraging high-level statements at congress’ first day
Ghosh P.: The great gene editing debate: can it be safe and ethical?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74j2lz88pwo
Miller H.I.: Let's Make the Next Biotech Revolution an American One
We need to invest aggressively and intelligently and regulate more scientifically
https://henrymillermd.org/28052/let-make-the-next-biotech-revolution-an-american
IVA: Studie: Technologieoffensive im Ackerbau kann Treibhausgas-Emissionen erheblich senken
https://www.presseportal.de/pm/16070/5860709
Studie: bit.ly/klimastudie
Only some selected press releases or media reports are listed here. The daily up-date of the press releases
and media reports are ►here: September week 37
Publications – Publikationen
De Keersmaecker, S.C., Kok, E., Roosens, N., Zaoui, X., et al. (2024): Sequencing strategies for the traceability of GMOs -
methods and related quality aspects, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/890142, JRC137607.
GMO analysis may increasingly rely on DNA sequencing, a technology that was originally used as a confirmatory step and is now considered for routine testing. However, in order to fully support the enforcement of European GMO legislation, this evolution requires harmonization, standardisation and validation of selected methods. In this context, this report from the European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL) seeks to evaluate the impact of sequencing technologies on GMO analysis, itself impacted by the advent of new genomic techniques. In addition, the report discusses quality criteria and good practice in the use of DNA sequencing data and hardware, with a focus on GMO-related aspects further illustrated by four realistic scenarios. Finally, by identifying areas requiring further development, the authors propose a set of recommendations towards the establishment of minimum performance parameters for GMO analyses including DNA sequencing techniques.
Clark, L.F., Hobbs, J.E. (2024): What’s Next for Gene Editing in Agrifood? In: International Regulation of Gene Editing
Technologies in Crops. SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-63917-3_6
This concluding chapter summarizes current and future challenges of governing gene editing in the agrifood system, as well as other emergent new breeding techniques on the horizon. We assess the current landscape of regulatory frameworks and review what may change in the coming years and decades as climate change and food insecurity continue to stress global agrifood supply chains and the system writ large. We examine the implications of a complex patent landscape for future applications of gene editing. We comment briefly on consumer considerations, including consumer acceptance and the role of labelling. Insights from stakeholder interviews illustrate applications of gene editing targeted at climate change and sustainability. We conclude with a summary of how elements of deliberative governance can help shape the regulatory environment for gene editing in agrifood, along with suggestion for future research.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-63917-3_6#DOI
lkelish, A., Alqudah, A.M., Alomari, D.Z. et al. (2024): Targeting candidate genes for the macronutrient accumulation of
wheat grains for improved human nutrition. CEREAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS | https://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-024-00566-8
Wheat biofortification represents a promising avenue to combat global micronutrient deficiencies. Therefore, understanding the genetic basis of desirable alleles underpinning all minerals is important for wheat biofortification. A core collection of 111 wheat genotypes was evaluated for both years to measure macronutrient contents, including magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Our study showed significant natural phenotypic variation for all of the studied macronutrients underlying both years with high heritability values. Using a genome-wide association scan (GWAS), 474 significant SNP markers were detected and associated with all the evaluated macronutrients for both years. Upon GWAS analysis, several reliable genomic regions with different potential candidate genes were found to play essential roles in the biofortified wheat grains. For instance, the gene TraesCS1A02G261200 was located on chromosome 1A and annotated as calcium ion binding proteins. These proteins play a crucial role in regulating mineral accumulation in wheat grains by influencing signal transduction, mineral transporter regulation, stress responses, cell wall stability, seed development, and enzymatic activity modulation. Notably, the accessions carrying T allele showed a higher accumulation of Mg, P, and Ca in wheat grains than the accessions carrying C allele, suggesting the positive selection of the accessions carrying T allele in the wheat panel. Therefore, exploring the mechanisms and regulation of these proteins could lead to techniques for enhancing the nutritional value of wheat grains, specifically mineral content.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42976-024-00566-8
Haroon M., Wang X., Afzal R., Zafar M.M. et al. (2022): Novel Plant Breeding Techniques Shake Hands with Cereals to
Increase Production. Plants 11(8), 1052 | https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11081052
Cereals are the main source of human food on our planet. The ever-increasing food demand, continuously changing environment, and diseases of cereal crops have made adequate production a challenging task for feeding the ever-increasing population. Plant breeders are striving their hardest to increase production by manipulating conventional breeding methods based on the biology of plants, either self-pollinating or cross-pollinating. However, traditional approaches take a decade, space, and inputs in order to make crosses and release improved varieties. Recent advancements in genome editing tools (GETs) have increased the possibility of precise and rapid genome editing. New GETs such as CRISPR/Cas9, CRISPR/Cpf1, prime editing, base editing, dCas9 epigenetic modification, and several other transgene-free genome editing approaches are available to fill the lacuna of selection cycles and limited genetic diversity. Over the last few years, these technologies have led to revolutionary developments and researchers have quickly attained remarkable achievements. However, GETs are associated with various bottlenecks that prevent the scaling development of new varieties that can be dealt with by integrating the GETs with the improved conventional breeding methods such as speed breeding, which would take plant breeding to the next level. In this review, we have summarized all these traditional, molecular, and integrated approaches to speed up the breeding procedure of cereals.
https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/8/1052
Ren C., Mohamed M.S.M., Aini N., Kuang Y., Liang Z. (2024): CRISPR/Cas in Grapevine Genome Editing: The Best Is Yet to
Come. Horticulturae 10(9), 965 | https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10090965
The advent of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins as a revolutionary innovation in genome editing has greatly promoted targeted modification and trait improvement in most plant species. For grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.), a perennial woody plant species, CRISPR/Cas genome editing is an extremely promising technique for genetic improvement in a short period. Advances in grapevine genome editing have been achieved by using CRISPR technology in recent years, which promises to accelerate trait improvement in grapevine. In this review, we describe the development and advances in CRISPR/Cas9 and its orthologs and variants. We summarize the applications of genome editing in grapevine and discuss the challenges facing grapevine genome editing as well as the possible strategies that could be used to improve genome editing in grapevine. In addition, we outline future perspectives for grapevine genome editing in a model system, precise genome editing, accelerated trait improvement, and transgene-free genome editing. We believe that CRISPR/Cas will play a more important role in grapevine genome editing, and an exciting and bright future is expected in this economically significant species.
https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/10/9/965
Ghorbani, A. (2024): Genetic analysis of tomato brown rugose fruit virus reveals evolutionary adaptation and codon
usage bias patterns. Sci Rep 14, 21281 (2024. | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-72298-y
Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) poses a significant threat to tomato production worldwide, prompting extensive research into its genetic diversity, evolutionary dynamics, and adaptive strategies. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of ToBRFV at the codon level, focusing on codon usage bias, selection pressures, and evolutionary patterns across multiple genes. Our analysis revealed distinct patterns of codon usage bias and selection pressures within the ToBRFV genome, with varying levels of genetic diversity and evolutionary constraints among different genes. We observed a transition/transversion bias of 2.07 across the entire ToBRFV genome, with the movement protein (MP) gene exhibiting the highest transition/transversion bias and SNP density, suggesting potential evolutionary pressures or a higher mutation rate in this gene. Furthermore, our study identified episodic positive selection primarily in the MP gene, highlighting specific codons subject to adaptive changes in response to host immune pressures or environmental factors. Comparative analysis of codon usage bias in the coat protein (CP) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) genes revealed gene-specific patterns reflecting functional constraints and adaptation to the host's translational machinery. Our findings provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms driving ToBRFV evolution and adaptation, with implications for understanding viral pathogenesis, host-virus interactions, and the development of control strategies. Future research directions include further elucidating the functional significance of codon usage biases, exploring the role of episodic positive selection in viral adaptation, and leveraging these insights to inform the development of effective antiviral strategies and crop protection measures.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-72298-y
Yuan Y., Fan Y., Huang L., Lu H. et al. (2024): The SINA1-BSD1 Module Regulates Vegetative Growth Involving Gibberellin
Biosynthesis in Tomato. Advanced Science | https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202400995
In plants, vegetative growth is controlled by synergistic and/or antagonistic effects of many regulatory factors. Here, the authors demonstrate that the ubiquitin ligase seven in absentia1 (SINA1) mammalian BTF2-like transcription factors, Drosophila synapse-associated proteins, and yeast DOS2-like proteins (BSD1) function as a regulatory module to control vegetative growth in tomato via regulation of the production of plant growth hormone gibberellin (GA). SINA1 negatively regulates the protein level of BSD1 through ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated degradation, and the transgenic tomato over-expressing SINA1 (SINA1-OX) resembles the dwarfism phenotype of the BSD1-knockout (BSD1-KO) tomato plant. BSD1 directly activates expression of the BSD1-regulated gene 1 (BRG1) via binding to a novel core BBS (standing for BSD1 binding site) binding motif in the BRG1 promoter. Knockout of BRG1 (BRG1-KO) in tomato also results in a dwarfism phenotype, suggesting BRG1 plays a positive role in vegetative growth as BSD1 does. Significantly, GA contents are attenuated in transgenic SINA1-OX, BSD1-KO, and BRG1-KO plants exhibiting dwarfism phenotype and exogenous application of bioactive GA3 restores their vegetative growth. Moreover, BRG1 is required for the expression of multiple GA biosynthesis genes and BSD1 activates three GA biosynthesis genes promoting GA production. Thus, this study suggests that the SINA1-BSD1 module controls vegetative growth via direct and indirect regulation of GA biosynthesis in tomato.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202400995
Gomes, A.S.d.L.P.B.; Weber, S.H.; Luciano, F.B. Resistance (2024): Resistance of Transgenic Maize Cultivars to Mycotoxin
Production—Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Toxins 16, 373. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins16080373
Approximately 25% of cereal grains present with contamination caused by fungi and the presence of mycotoxins that may cause severe adverse effects when consumed. Maize has been genetically engineered to present different traits, such as fungal or insect resistance and herbicide tolerance. This systematic review compared the observable quantities, via meta-analysis, of four mycotoxins (aflatoxins—AFL, fumonisins—FUM, deoxynivalenol—DON, zearalenone—ZEA) between genetically modified (GM) and conventional maize kernels. This study was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines, with searches performed using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and CAPES journals databases. Analyses were conducted using RevMan v.5.4 software. Transgenic maize showed a 58% reduction in total mycotoxins (p < 0.001) compared to conventional maize. FUM were the most impacted, with a 59% reduction (p < 0.001) in GM maize. AFL and ZEA levels were also lower in GM maize by 49% (p = 0.02) and 51% (p < 0.001), respectively. On the other hand, DON levels increased by 6% (p < 0.001) in GM maize compared to conventional maize. However, results for ZEA and DON were inconclusive due to the limited research and sample sizes. We conclude that transgenic maize reduces total mycotoxins by over 50%, primarily fumonisin and aflatoxin. Most studies presented maize varieties that were resistant to insects or herbicides, not fungal pathogens, showing a positive collateral effect of these genetic alterations. Therefore, transgenic maize appears to be a safer product for animal and human consumption from a toxicological point of view. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our findings for ZEA and DON in transgenic maize.
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/16/8/373
EFSA:
EFSA CEP Panel (2023). Food manufacturing processes and technical data used in the exposure assessment of food
enzymes. EFSA Journal, 21(7), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.8094
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.8094