Sunday Evening News 405 - Week 50 - 2024
Weekly report on genetic engineering, genome editing, biotechnology and legal regulation.
November 2024-12-09 - 2024-12-15
Meetings-Veranstaltungen
Forum for the future of Agriculture - Annual Conference 2025
The Forum for the future of Agriculture is pleased to invite you to join in person or online in Brussels on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 for the next Annual Conference, to discuss the challenges facing the food system and the environment with some great speakers and panellists.
https://fefac.eu/newsroom/events/forum-for-the-future-of-agriculture-annual-conference-2025/
Press Releases - Media / Presse- und Medienberichte
POLISH PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
PROGRAMME OF THE POLISH PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
GM-Watch: GM salmon company AquaBounty shuts down operations
https://gmwatch.org/en/106-news/latest-news/20486-gm-salmon-company-aquabounty-shuts-down-operations
Genetically Engineered Salmon Production Ends as AquaBounty Shutters Last Facility
https://foe.org/news/aquabounty-ge-salmon-ends/
Scientists Say Gene Editing and Plant Domestication Are Crucial for Safeguarding Food Supplies in a Changing Climate
Giddings V.: Roadmap for the incoming Trump administration: Friend or foe of US agriculture?
Zeit-online: Umweltverbände klagen gegen Glyphosat-Zulassung in EU
https://www.zeit.de/politik/2024-12/glyphosat-pestizid-unkraut-zulassung-eu-eugh
Only some selected press releases or media reports are listed here. The daily up-date of the press releases
and media reports are ►here: December week 50
Publications – Publikationen
Clemens S., Fehse B., AG Gentechnologiebericht (Hrsg./Ed.)(2024): Im Fokus: Genomeditierung von Pflanzen.
Rhee, S.Y., Anstett D.N., Cahoon E.B., Covarrubias-Robles A.A. et al. (2024): Resilient plants, sustainable future,
Trends in Plant Science | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2024.11.001
The accelerated pace of climate change over the past several years should serve as a wake-up call for all scientists, farmers, and decision makers, as it severely threatens our food supply and could result in famine, migration, war, and an overall destabilization of our society. Rapid and significant changes are therefore needed in the way we conduct research on plant resilience, develop new crop varieties, and cultivate those crops in our agricultural systems. Here, we describe the main bottlenecks for these processes and outline a set of key recommendations on how to accelerate research in this critical area for our society.
Sato, A., Watanabe, D., & Saito, Y. (2024): Growing knowledge impact of gene-editing technology on public acceptance:
a longitudinal analysis in Japan. GM Crops & Food, 15(1), 411–428 | https://doi.org/10.1080/21645698.2024.2435709
Genome editing (GE) technology holds significant promise for advancements in crop development and medical applications. However, public acceptance of GE in Japan remains uncertain. This study aimed to examine how knowledge impacts public acceptance of GE technology, focusing on differences across diffusion stages and application purposes. Using ordinary least squares regression on repeated survey data collected from 2018 to 2023 in Japan (n = 6,234), we investigated the influence of knowledge on support for GE in consumer benefits, producer benefits, and medical technology. Our findings revealed that the effect of knowledge on technology acceptance has strengthened over time. Consumers with greater knowledge of GE are increasingly supportive of its advancement, emphasizing the growing importance of information as the technology becomes more widespread. This research highlights the role of transparent policy discussions in fostering public trust and support, thereby promoting the successful integration of new technologies into society.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645698.2024.2435709?src=exp-la#abstract
Chaparro T.: CRISPR in Agriculture: 2024 in Review
Just 12 years after its development, the genome-editing tool CRISPR is being used in a wide breadth of ways in plant and animal agriculture, from reducing waste to adapting plants and animals to climate change, from making plants that naturally resist weeds to ones that can be harvested more efficiently, from food to biofuels and paper. Each year, researchers are adapting CRISPR tools to be used in new species, for new purposes. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of genomic engineering in agriculture and then map out some of the most exciting new developments, like never-before-seen seedless berries, non-browning avocados, and THC-less hemp, as well as updates on research areas we covered in our 2022 review — plus what to watch for next!
https://innovativegenomics.org/news/crispr-in-agriculture-2024/
Bukchin-Peles, S., Wurster, S., Justo-Hanani R., Kurz, F,.(2024): Understanding Regulatory Preferences for Gmos and
Nanotechnology: A Cross-Country Analysis of Public Opinion in the USA, Israel, and Germany. SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5020878 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5020878
Emerging technologies like Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and nanotechnology are seen as pivotal to achieving future economic prosperity, social progress, and ecological sustainability, particularly in industrialized countries. However, these technologies are also associated with potential environmental, health, and safety risks. This study examines the regulatory preferences of citizens in three industrialized countries—the USA, Israel, and Germany—and investigates the factors that influence these preferences. Based on a representative survey, we identify notable differences in regulatory attitudes toward GMOs and nanotechnology. Survey participants strongly favor strict regulation for GMOs, while support for similar regulation of nanotechnology is notably weaker. In addition to differing perceptions of risks and opportunities associated with each technology, cross-country variations align with distinct regulatory traditions and the nature of public discourse surrounding these technologies. Key relationships remain robust even after accounting for individual characteristics such as age, gender, and education level. Our findings suggest that the unique attributes of emerging technologies should play a more significant role in researching regulatory preferences than has been previously emphasized.
Palmgren M and Shabala S. (2024): Adapting crops for climate change: regaining lost abiotic stress tolerance in crops.
Front Sci 2:1416023 | doi: 10.3389/fsci.2024.1416023
It is often stated that agricultural outputs need to increase substantially to meet the demands for more food posed by a growing population. However, when accounting for climate change, we argue that current projected increases are unrealistic and a more realistic goal would be to maintain yields per area of food production. This will require breeding for crops with increased tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, waterlogging, and high temperatures. This goal can be accomplished in one of two ways: by introducing stress tolerance genes into present high-yielding crops or by increasing the yields of already tolerant orphan crops and/or wild plants. We argue that the first strategy will require easing the restrictions on the use of gene editing technologies and making substantial improvements to cell-based phenotyping to identify the stress tolerance genes available in the gene pool of a crop and its wild relatives. The success of the second strategy will depend on the number of domestication genes that need to be selected for in order to obtain yields comparable to present-day cultivars. It is still too early to conclude which of the two strategies, rewilding (bringing genes lost from wild ancestors back to domesticated crops) or de novo domestication (domesticating resilient wild plants or underutilized crops directly), will be most effective for future sustainable agriculture. However, given the importance of the issue, some rapid action needs to be taken.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/science/articles/10.3389/fsci.2024.1416023/full
Chaurasia A. (2024): How CRISPR patent issues block Indian farmers from accessing biotech benefits.
Nature 636, 277 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03989-9
Scientists in Asia and Africa are racing to discover hardier crop varieties using gene editing tools. But patent restrictions come in the way.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03989-9
Ram H., Naeem A., Rashid A., Kaur C., Ashraf M.Y. et al. (2024): Agronomic biofortification of genetically biofortified wheat
genotypes with zinc, selenium, iodine, and iron under field conditions. Front. Plant Sci. 15:1455901 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1455901
Inherently low concentrations of zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), iodine (I), and selenium (Se) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grains represent a major cause of micronutrient malnutrition (hidden hunger) in human populations. Genetic biofortification represents a highly useful solution to this problem. However, genetic biofortification alone may not achieve desirable concentrations of micronutrients for human nutrition due to several soil- and plant-related factors. This study investigated the response of genetically biofortified high-Zn wheat genotypes to soil-applied Zn and foliarly applied Zn, I, and Se in India and Pakistan. The effect of soil-applied Zn (at the rate of 50 kg ha−1 as ZnSO4·7H2O) and foliar-applied Zn (0.5% ZnSO4·7H2O), I (0.04% KIO3), Se (0.001% Na2SeO4), and a foliar cocktail (F-CT: combination of the above foliar solutions) on the grain concentrations of Zn, I, Se, and Fe of high-Zn wheat genotypes was investigated in field experiments over 2 years. The predominantly grown local wheat cultivars in both countries were also included as check cultivars. Wheat grain yield was not influenced by the micronutrient treatments at all field locations, except one location in Pakistan where F-CT resulted in increased grain yield. Foliar-applied Zn, I, and Se each significantly enhanced the grain concentration of the respective micronutrients. Combined application of these micronutrients was almost equally effective in enhancing grain Zn, I, and Se, but with a slight reduction in grain yield. Foliar-applied Zn, Zn+I, and F-CT also enhanced grain Fe. In India, high-Zn genotypes exhibited a minor grain yield penalty as compared with the local cultivar, whereas in Pakistan, high-Zn wheat genotypes could not produce grain yield higher than the local cultivar. The study demonstrates that there is a synergism between genetic and agronomic biofortification in enrichment of grains with micronutrients. Foliar Zn spray to Zn-biofortified genotypes provided additional increments in grain Zn of more than 15 mg kg−1. Thus, combining agronomic and genetic strategies will raise grain Zn over 50 mg kg−1. A combination of fertilization practice with plant breeding is strongly recommended to maximize accumulation of micronutrients in food crops and to make significant progress toward resolving the hidden hunger problem in human populations.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1455901/full
Zhang, X., Tang, C., Jiang, B. et al. (2024): Refining polyploid breeding in sweet potato through allele dosage enhancement.
Nat. Plants | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-024-01873-y
Allele dosage plays a key role in the phenotypic variation of polyploids. Here we present a genome-wide variation map of hexaploid sweet potato that captures allele dosage information, constructed from deep sequencing of 294 hexaploid accessions. Genome-wide association studies identified quantitative trait loci with dosage effects on 23 agronomic traits. Our analyses reveal that sweet potato breeding has progressively increased the dosage of favourable alleles to enhance trait performance. Notably, the Mesoamerican gene pool has evolved towards higher dosages of favourable alleles at multiple loci, which have been increasingly introgressed into modern Chinese cultivars. We substantiated the breeding-driven dosage accumulation through transgenic validation of IbEXPA4, an expansin gene influencing tuberous root weight. In addition, we explored causative sequence variations that alter the expression of the Orange gene, which regulates flesh colour. Our findings illuminate the breeding history of sweet potato and establish a foundation for leveraging allele dosages in polyploid breeding practices.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-024-01873-y
Islam, A. and Ahuja, V. (2024) Frequently Asked Questions: Genome Edited Plants, South Asia Biosafety Program (SABP),
Agriculture & Food Systems Institute (AFSI), Washington,
https://bangladeshbiosafety.org/biosafety-book/book3/
https://biotech.co.in/sites/default/files/2022-02/FAQ%20about%20gene%20edited%20plants.pdf
Groover, E., Njuguna, E., Bansal, K.C. et al. (2024): A technical approach to global plant genome editing regulation.
Nat Biotechnol 42, 1773–1780 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-024-02489-5
The Innovate Genomics Institute brought together regulators from 16 countries to discuss global capacity building for the regulation of genome-edited crops. The workshop provided insights into the suitable use of technical analyses to validate edits and raised future considerations regarding regulation reporting, offering suggestions to help countries meet their objectives in the ever-growing landscape of genome editing techniques.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-024-02489-5
Martinez-Feria, R., Simmonds, M.B., Ozaydin, B. et al. (2024): Genetic remodeling of soil diazotrophs enables partial
replacement of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer with biological nitrogen fixation in maize. Sci Rep 14, 27754 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-78243-3
Increasing biological nitrogen (N) fixation (BNF) in maize production could reduce the environmental impacts of N fertilizer use, but reactive N in the rhizosphere of maize limits the BNF process. Using non-transgenic methods, we developed gene-edited strains of Klebsiella variicola (Kv137-2253) and Kosakonia sacchari (Ks6-5687) bacteria optimized for root-associated BNF and ammonium excretion in N-rich conditions. The aim of this research was to elucidate the mechanism of action of these strains. We present evidence from in vitro, in planta and field experiments that confirms that our genetic remodeling strategy derepresses BNF activity in N-rich systems and increases ammonium excretion by orders of magnitude above the respective wildtype strains. BNF is demonstrated in controlled environments by the transfer of labeled 15N2 gas from the rhizosphere to the chlorophyll of inoculated maize plants. This was corroborated in several 15N isotope tracer field experiments where inoculation with the formulated, commercial-grade product derived from the gene-edited strains (PIVOT BIO PROVEN® 40) provided on average 21 kg N ha-1 to the plant by the VT-R1 growth stages. Data from small-plot and on-farm trials suggest that this technology can improve crop N status pre-flowering and has potential to mitigate the risk of yield loss associated with a reduction in synthetic N fertilizer inputs.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-78243-3
Cameron S. L. (2024): Insect Mitochondrial Genomics: A Decade of Progress.
Annual Review of Entomology | DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-013024-015553
Azeez S.S, Hamad R.S., Hamad B.K., Shekha M.S., Bergsten P (2024): Advances in CRISPR-Cas technology and its
applications: revolutionising precision medicine. Front. Genome Ed. 6:1509924 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fgeed.2024.1509924
CRISPR-Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-CRISPR-associated proteins) has undergone marked advancements since its discovery as an adaptive immune system in bacteria and archaea, emerged as a potent gene-editing tool after the successful engineering of its synthetic guide RNA (sgRNA) toward the targeting of specific DNA sequences with high accuracy. Besides its DNA editing ability, further-developed Cas variants can also edit the epigenome, rendering the CRISPR-Cas system a versatile tool for genome and epigenome manipulation and a pioneering force in precision medicine. This review explores the latest advancements in CRISPR-Cas technology and its therapeutic and biomedical applications, highlighting its transformative impact on precision medicine. Moreover, the current status of CRISPR therapeutics in clinical trials is discussed. Finally, we address the persisting challenges and prospects of CRISPR-Cas technology.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genome-editing/articles/10.3389/fgeed.2024.1509924/full
Iasi L.N.M., Chintalapati M., Skov L., Mesa A.B., Hajdinjak M. ,Peter B.M., Moorjani B. (2024): Neanderthal ancestry through time:
Insights from genomes of ancient and present-day humans. Science 386, Issue 6727 | DOI: 10.1126/science.adq3010
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq3010
EFSA
FEZ Panel (2024): Revised safety evaluation of the food enzyme glucose oxidase from the genetically modified Trichoderma
reesei strain AR-352. EFSA Journal, 22(12), e9122. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9122
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9122
FEZ Panel (2024): Revised safety evaluation of the food enzyme endo-1,4-β-xylanase from the genetically modified Bacillus subtilis
strain LMG S-24584 produced by a modified process. EFSA Journal, 22(12), e9126. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9126
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9126
FEZ Panel (2024): Safety evaluation of the food enzyme endo-1,4-β-xylanase from the non-genetically modified Trichoderma
citrinoviride strain HBI-TX01. EFSA Journal, 22(12), e9127. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9127
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9127
FEZ Panel (2024): Safety evaluation of the food enzym endo-1,4-β-xylanase from the genetically modified Bacillus subtilis strain
AR-153. EFSA Journal, 22(12), e9123. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9123
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9123