Sunday Evening News 416- Week 10 - 2025
Weekly report on genetic engineering, genome editing, biotechnology and legal regulation.
February 2025-03-03 - March 2025-03-09
Press Releases - Media / Presse- und Medienbericht
MPI: Für einen neuen Aufbruch der Wissenschaft
10-Punkte-Plan der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft für die neue Bundesregierung
https://www.mpg.de/24266790/fuer-einen-neuen-aufbruch-der-wissenschaft
Volle Unterstützung des 10-Punkte-Plans durc den WGG
Informationsdienst Gentechnik: Gentechnikregelung: Özdemir kritisiert polnischen Entwurf
https://www.keine-gentechnik.de/nachricht/gentechnikregelung-oezdemir-kritisiert-polnischen-entwurf
topagrar: Polen ändert Meinung zur Gentechnik - Kommt jetzt die Einigung?
European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC): Statement: European small-scale farmers call on Member States to not
support Poland’s proposal on NGTs
Proplanta: Unionsagrarier setzen sich bei Bundestagswahl durch
Nationalrat will Gentechnik-Moratorium um fünf Jahre verlängern
Mexikos Unterhaus stimmt für Verbot von gentechnisch verändertem Mais
GM Watch: GMWatch submits comments on GMO deregulation secondary legislation to scrutiny committee
https://gmwatch.org/en/106-news/latest-news/20517
Submission to Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee on the draft Statutory Instrument for the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 and the Explanatory Memorandum for the same
https://gmwatch.org/files/GMWatch_Antoniou_SLSC_submission.pdf
Australian Government Approves Commercial Release of GM Cavendish Banana
Devlin H.: Gene-edited non-browning banana could cut food waste, scientists say
Pasricha T.: Are GMOs bad for your health? Here’s what the science says.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2025/03/03/gmos-bad-glyphosate-pesticides/
Only some selected press releases or media reports are listed here. The daily up-date of the press releases and
media reports are ►here: March week 10
Publications – Publikationen
Weidner, C., Lieske, K., Dagand, E. et al. (2025): Minimum performance requirements for analytical methods of GMO testing:
supplement on digital PCR and recommendations for detection of new genomics techniques and GM animals. J Consum Prot Food Saf (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00003-025-01555-7
The Working Group on Method Performance Requirements (WG-MPR) of the European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL) and the EU Reference Laboratory for Genetically Modified Food and Feed (EURL GMFF) have extended the scope of its guidance document on the “Definition of minimum performance requirements for analytical methods of GMO testing”. This document establishes criteria for the development and validation of methods for GMO analysis, both for EU market authorization applications and for official food and feed control. The guidance outlines definitions and performance requirements for methods used to detect and quantify GMOs and has recently been expanded to include digital PCR methods, the detection of genetically modified animals, and the analysis of products developed using new mutagenesis techniques. The guidance document is freely available on the EURL GMFF website (https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC125975 accessed 25.02.2025).
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00003-025-01555-7
Zhang, Y., Cheng, M., Massel, K. et al. (2025): An accelerated transgene-free genome editing system using microparticle
bombardment of sorghum immature embryos. aBIOTECH | https://doi.org/10.1007/s42994-025-00204-9
The key factors for genome-editing in plants using CRISPR/Cas9, such as the Cas9 nuclease and guide RNA (gRNA) are typically expressed from a construct that is integrated into the plant genome. However, the presence of foreign DNA in the host genome causes genetic and regulatory concerns, particularly for commercialization. To address this issue, we developed an accelerated pipeline for generating transgene-free genome-edited sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) in the T0 generation. For proof-of-concept, we selected the Phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene as the target due to its visible phenotype (albinism) upon mutation. Following microprojectile-mediated co-transformation with a maize (Zea mays)-optimized Cas9 vector and a guide RNA (gRNA) cassette with a geneticin (G418) resistance gene, we divided tissue derived from immature embryos into two groups (with and without antibiotic selection) and cultured them separately as parallel experiments. In regenerated plants cultured on medium containing MS basal nutrition (to allow albino plants to survive), we detected higher rates of albinism in the non-selection group, achieving editing rates of 11.1–14.3% compared with 4.2–8.3% in the antibiotic selection group. In the T0 generation, 22.2–38.1% of albino plants from the non-selection group were identified as transgene-free, whereas only 0–5.9% from the selection group were transgene-free. Therefore, our strategy efficiently produced transgene-free genome-edited plants without the need for self-crossing or outcrossing, demonstrating the feasibility of achieving transgene-free genome-edited sorghum plants within a single generation. These findings pave the way for commercializing transgene-free genome-edited lines, particularly for vegetatively propagated crops like pineapple, sugarcane, and banana.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42994-025-00204-9
Gao, S., Weng, B., Wich, D. et al. (2025): Improving adenine base editing precision by enlarging the recognition domain
of CRISPR-Cas9. Nat Commun 16, 2081 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57154-5
Domain expansion contributes to diversification of RNA-guided-endonucleases including Cas9. However, it remains unclear how REC domain expansion could benefit Cas9. In this study, we identify an insertion spot that is compatible with large REC insertion and succeeds in enlarging the non-catalytic REC domain of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9. The natural-evolution-like giant SpCas9 (GS-Cas9) is created and shows substantially improved editing precision. We further discover that enlarging the REC domain could enable regulation of the N-terminal adenine deaminase TadA8e tethered to the Cas9 scaffold, which contributes to substantially reducing unexpected editing and improving the precision of the adenine base editor ABE8e. We provide proof of concept for evolution-inspired expansion of Cas9 and offer an alternative solution for optimizing gene editors. Our study also indicates a vast potential for engineering the topological malleability of RNA-guided endonucleases and base editors.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57154-5
Zhang, N., Tang, L., Li, S. et al. (2025): Integration of multi-omics data accelerates molecular analysis of common wheat
traits. Nat Commun 16, 2200 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57550-x
Integration of multi-omics data can provide information on biomolecules from different layers to illustrate the complex biology systematically. Here, we build a multi-omics atlas containing 132,570 transcripts, 44,473 proteins, 19,970 phosphoproteins, and 12,427 acetylproteins across wheat vegetative and reproductive phases. Using this atlas, we elucidate transcriptional regulation network, contributions of post-translational modification (PTM) and transcript level to protein abundance, and biased homoeolog expression and PTM in wheat. The genes/proteins related to wheat development and disease resistance are systematically analyzed, thus identifying phosphorylation and/or acetylation modifications for the seed proteins controlling wheat grain quality and the disease resistance-related genes. Lastly, a unique protein module TaHDA9-TaP5CS1, specifying de-acetylation of TaP5CS1 by TaHDA9, is discovered, which regulates wheat resistance to Fusarium crown rot via increasing proline content. Our atlas holds great promise for fast-tracking molecular biology and breeding studies in wheat and related crops.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57550-x
Tuncel, A., Pan, C., Clem, J.S. et al. (2025): CRISPR–Cas applications in agriculture and plant research. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-025-00834-3
Growing world population and deteriorating climate conditions necessitate the development of new crops with high yields and resilience. CRISPR–Cas-mediated genome engineering presents unparalleled opportunities to engineer crop varieties cheaper, easier and faster than ever. In this Review, we discuss how the CRISPR–Cas toolbox has rapidly expanded from Cas9 and Cas12 to include different Cas orthologues and engineered variants. We present various CRISPR–Cas-based methods, including base editing and prime editing, which are used for precise genome, epigenome and transcriptome engineering, and methods used to deliver the genome editors into plants, such as bacterial-mediated and viral-mediated transformation. We then discuss how promoter editing and chromosome engineering are used in crop breeding for trait engineering and fixation, and important applications of CRISPR–Cas in crop improvement, such as de novo domestication and enhancing tolerance to abiotic stresses. We conclude with discussing future prospects of plant genome engineering.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41580-025-00834-3
Wang Z., Miao L., ∙Tan K., Fu X., Sun Q., Che J. et al. (2025): Near-complete assembly and comprehensive annotation of the
wheat Chinese Spring genome, Molecular Plant | DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2025.02.002#
A complete reference genome assembly is crucial for biological research and genetic improvement. Owing to its large size and highly repetitive nature, there are numerous gaps in the globally used wheat Chinese Spring (CS) genome assembly. In this study, we generated a 14.46 Gb near-complete assembly of the CS genome, with a contig N50 of over 266 Mb and an overall base accuracy of 99.9963%. Among the 290 gaps that remained (26, 257, and 7 gaps from the A, B, and D subgenomes, respectively), 278 were extremely high-copy tandem repeats, whereas the remaining 12 were transposable-element-associated gaps. Four chromosome assemblies were completely gap-free, including chr1D, chr3D, chr4D, and chr5D. Extensive annotation of the near-complete genome revealed 151 405 high-confidence genes, of which 59 180 were newly annotated, including 7602 newly assembled genes. Except for the centromere of chr1B, which has a gap associated with superlong GAA repeat arrays, the centromeric sequences of all of the remaining 20 chromosomes were completely assembled. Our near-complete assembly revealed that the extent of tandem repeats, such as simple-sequence repeats, was highly uneven among different subgenomes. Similarly, the repeat compositions of the centromeres also varied among the three subgenomes. With the genome sequences of all six types of seed storage proteins (SSPs) fully assembled, the expression of ω-gliadin was found to be contributed entirely by the B subgenome, whereas the expression of the other five types of SSPs was most abundant from the D subgenome. The near-complete CS genome will serve as a valuable resource for genomic and functional genomic research and breeding of wheat as well as its related species.
Lee, H., Kim, W., Kwon, N. et al. (2025): Lessons from national biobank projects utilizing whole-genome sequencing for
population-scale genomics. Genom. Inform. 23, 8 | https://doi.org/10.1186/s44342-025-00040-9
Large-scale national biobank projects utilizing whole-genome sequencing have emerged as transformative resources for understanding human genetic variation and its relationship to health and disease. These initiatives, which include the UK Biobank, All of Us Research Program, Singapore’s PRECISE, Biobank Japan, and the National Project of Bio-Big Data of Korea, are generating unprecedented volumes of high-resolution genomic data integrated with comprehensive phenotypic, environmental, and clinical information. This review examines the methodologies, contributions, and challenges of major WGS-based national genome projects worldwide. We first discuss the landscape of national biobank initiatives, highlighting their distinct approaches to data collection, participant recruitment, and phenotype characterization. We then introduce recent technological advances that enable efficient processing and analysis of large-scale WGS data, including improvements in variant calling algorithms, innovative methods for creating multi-sample VCFs, optimized data storage formats, and cloud-based computing solutions. The review synthesizes key discoveries from these projects, particularly in identifying expression quantitative trait loci and rare variants associated with complex diseases. Our review introduces the latest findings from the National Project of Bio-Big Data of Korea, which has advanced our understanding of population-specific genetic variation and rare diseases in Korean and East Asian populations. Finally, we discuss future directions and challenges in maximizing the impact of these resources on precision medicine and global health equity. This comprehensive examination demonstrates how large-scale national genome projects are revolutionizing genetic research and healthcare delivery while highlighting the importance of continued investment in diverse, population-specific genomic resources.
https://genomicsinform.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s44342-025-00040-9
Ye Z., DiFonzo C., Hennessy D.A., Zhao J., Wu F., Conley S.P., Gassmann A.J., Hodgson E.W., Jensen B., [...] , and Christian H.
(2025): Too much of a good thing: Lessons from compromised rootworm Bt maize in the US Corn Belt. Science 387, Issue 6737, 984-989
Widespread use of genetically engineered maize targeting the corn rootworm complex (Diabrotica species) has raised concerns about insect resistance. Twelve years of university field trial and farm survey data from 10 US Corn Belt states indicate that maize hybrids expressing toxins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt maize) exhibited declining protection from rootworm feeding with increased planting while pest pressures simultaneously decreased. The analysis revealed a tendency to overplant Bt maize, leading to substantial economic losses; this was particularly striking in eastern Corn Belt states. Our findings highlight the need to go beyond the “tragedy of the commons” perspective to protect sustainable use of Bt and other crop biotechnology resources. We propose moving toward a more diversified and transparent seed supply.Related Policy Forum
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adm7634
Cho FH.T., Aglonucci P., Ian J., + 4, and Day B.H. (2025):Resilient tree-planting strategies for carbon dioxide removal under
compounding climate and economic uncertainties. PNAS 122 (10) e2320961122 | https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2320961122
To meet decarbonization targets, nations around the globe have made ambitious commitments to expand forested land. Operationalizing these commitments requires choosing a planting strategy: How many trees should be planted, of which species, and where? Given those choices must be made now but have long-term consequences, such decisions are plagued by uncertainty. For example, species that are well suited to present conditions may perform poorly under future climates, yet those future climates are themselves highly uncertain. Using the exemplar of the United Kingdom, a nation committed to achieving net zero emissions by midcentury, we quantify key uncertainties pertaining to coevolving climate and economic conditions and examine how modern methods of decision-making under uncertainty can advise on planting choices. Our analysis reveals that the best planting strategy assuming a “high-emissions” future is radically different to that for a future that remains on a “near-historic” path. Planting for the former while experiencing the latter results in substantial net costs to UK society. Assimilating uncertainty into decision-making identifies planting strategies that diversify risk and significantly reduce the probability of high-cost outcomes. Importantly, our research reveals that the scope for mitigating risk through choice of planting strategy is relatively limited. Despite this persistent risk, we find that tree planting remains a highly cost-effective carbon removal solution when compared to alternative technologies, even when those alternatives are assumed to be riskless.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2320961122
Ozdemir S., Piya S., Lopes-Caitar V.S., Coffey N., Rice J.-H., Hewezi T. (2024): Local and systemic transcriptome and spliceome
reprogramming induced by the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita in tomato, Horticulture Research, 11 (9), uhae206, | https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhae206
Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are widely spread root parasites that infect thousands of vascular plant species. These highly polyphagous nematodes engage in sophisticated interactions with host plants that results in the formation of knot-like structures known as galls whose ontogeny remains largely unknown. Here, we determined transcriptome changes and alternative splicing variants induced by Megalaima incognita in galls and neighboring root cells at two distinct infective stages. M. incognita induced substantial transcriptome changes in tomato roots both locally in galls and systemically in neighboring cells. A considerable parallel regulation of gene expression in galls and neighboring cells were detected, indicative of effective intercellular communications exemplified by suppression of basal defense responses particularly during the early stage of infection. The transcriptome analysis also revealed that M. incognita exerts a tight control over the cell cycle process as a whole that results in an increase of ploidy levels in the feeding sites and accelerated mitotic activity of the gall cells. Alternative splicing analysis indicated that M. incognita significantly modulates pre-mRNA splicing as a total of 9064 differentially spliced events from 2898 genes were identified where intron retention and exon skipping events were largely suppressed. Furthermore, a number of differentially spliced events were functionally validated using transgenic hairy root system and found to impact gall formation and nematode egg mass production. Together, our data provide unprecedented insights into the transcriptome and spliceome reprogramming induced by M. incognita in tomato with respect to gall ontogeny and nematode parasitism.
https://academic.oup.com/hr/article/11/9/uhae206/7718723?login=false
Caputo V., Kilders V., Lusk J.L. (2025): The effect of the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) on
consumer preferences and acceptance of bioengineered and gene-edited food. Food Policy 130, 102770 | DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102770
The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard in the United States mandates the disclosure of foods with bioengineered ingredients. However, some gene-edited foods are excluded from the Standard. This study explores consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for bioengineered and gene-edited foods, with a focus on romaine lettuce, in a multi-product specific design where they are compared to conventional, organic, and non-GMO alternatives. Our analysis includes three disclosure formats: the BE label, text, and QR code. We also determine the impact of information-seeking behavior on consumer valuations and the factors influencing such behaviors. Findings reveal a preference for conventional, organic, and non-GMO products over gene-edited and bioengineered options. However, the BE label is identified as the most favored disclosure method. In fact, under the BE disclosure, and particularly among information seekers, WTP for gene-edited and bioengineered products sometimes exceed WTP for conventional options. The study discusses policy implications regarding how disclosure formats and access to information can influence consumer perceptions and acceptance of new food technologies.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306919224001817?via%3Dihub
EFSA
FEZ Panel (2025): Safety evaluation of the food enzyme glucose oxidase from the non-genetically modified Aspergillus tubingensis
strain GOX. EFSA Journal, 23(3), e9290. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9290
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9290