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BULLETIN 1
Gene Editing Accelerates Fruit Ripening and Increases Fruit Firmness of Tomato
ISAAA April 24, 2024
Gene Editing Accelerates Fruit Ripening and Increases Fruit Firmness of Tomato
ISAAA April 24, 2024
A study published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal shows that the gene editing of SlEIN4AA through CRISPR-Cas9 significantly speeds up fruit ripening and increases fruit firmness, which prolongs the shelf life of the fruits.
Tomatoes face significant harvest losses due to declining fruit firmness during post-harvest. The researchers pinpoint the ethylene receptor gene SlEIN4 as a crucial gene influencing tomato fruit development and firmness. Hence, they investigated the impact of editing the SIEIN4 gene in tomatoes.
The results of the study revealed that SlEIN4 likely regulates fruit firmness by simultaneously influencing pericarp cell size and density. The findings also show that SlEIN4AA enhances the activity and expression of pectinase, an enzyme that breaks down pectin in fruits, which contributes to the softening of fruits and a decrease in fruit firmness. The researchers suggest further investigation is needed to understand the exact mechanism of SlEIN4 in regulating fruit firmness.
For more information, read the article from Plant Biotechnology Journal.
Tomatoes face significant harvest losses due to declining fruit firmness during post-harvest. The researchers pinpoint the ethylene receptor gene SlEIN4 as a crucial gene influencing tomato fruit development and firmness. Hence, they investigated the impact of editing the SIEIN4 gene in tomatoes.
The results of the study revealed that SlEIN4 likely regulates fruit firmness by simultaneously influencing pericarp cell size and density. The findings also show that SlEIN4AA enhances the activity and expression of pectinase, an enzyme that breaks down pectin in fruits, which contributes to the softening of fruits and a decrease in fruit firmness. The researchers suggest further investigation is needed to understand the exact mechanism of SlEIN4 in regulating fruit firmness.
For more information, read the article from Plant Biotechnology Journal.
BULLETIN 2
EU Commission Defends Proposal on NGTs Against French Food Safety Agency
EU Commission Defends Proposal on NGTs Against French Food Safety Agency
The European Commission defended the scientific robustness of the new legislation on new genetic techniques for plants during a hearing before the European Parliament's Environment Committee on April 9, 2024, countering the critical remarks of the French food agency Anses.
The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety openly challenged the main elements of the Commission's 2023 draft legislation on plants edited with New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) in two opinions published in November 2023 and March 2024. The opinions criticized the Commission's criteria for categorizing NGTs, suggesting a case-by-case risk assessment approach.
Klaus Berend from the Commission's general directorate for health emphasized that the draft law is based on scientific research provided by the EU's food safety authority EFSA since 2012, as well as on impact analyses on human and animal health, the environment, and economic and social risks. Berend also cited the letter signed by Nobel Prize winners defending the safety of NGTs.
However, Anses held its ground and its director general Matthieu Schuler explained that "Anses is not against the mechanism for categorizing NGT products, but it is in favor of a solid, applied system with graded assessments, which is not in contradiction with other countries.”
For more details, read the article in Euractiv.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/ged/article/default.asp?ID=20786
The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety openly challenged the main elements of the Commission's 2023 draft legislation on plants edited with New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) in two opinions published in November 2023 and March 2024. The opinions criticized the Commission's criteria for categorizing NGTs, suggesting a case-by-case risk assessment approach.
Klaus Berend from the Commission's general directorate for health emphasized that the draft law is based on scientific research provided by the EU's food safety authority EFSA since 2012, as well as on impact analyses on human and animal health, the environment, and economic and social risks. Berend also cited the letter signed by Nobel Prize winners defending the safety of NGTs.
However, Anses held its ground and its director general Matthieu Schuler explained that "Anses is not against the mechanism for categorizing NGT products, but it is in favor of a solid, applied system with graded assessments, which is not in contradiction with other countries.”
For more details, read the article in Euractiv.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/ged/article/default.asp?ID=20786
BULLETIN 3
A large presence/absence variation in the promotor of the ClLOG gene determines trichome elongation in watermelon
Yuyuan Ma, Yu Wang, Zhiqin Zhou, Runqin Zhang, Yiru Xie, Yihan Zhang, Yongming Bo, Xiaolong Lyu, Jinghua Yang, Mingfang Zhang & Zhongyuan Hu
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; 9 April 2024; vol.137; article 98
Key message
The ClLOG gene encoding a cytokinin riboside 5ʹ-monophosphate phosphoribohydrolase determines trichome length in watermelon, which is associated with its promoter variations.
Abstract
Trichomes, which are differentiated from epidermal cells, are special accessory structures that cover the above-ground organs of plants and possibly contribute to biotic and abiotic stress resistance. Here, a bulked segregant analysis (BSA) of an F2 population with significant variations in trichome length was undertaken. A 1.84-Mb candidate region on chromosome 10 was associated with trichome length. Resequencing and fine-mapping analyses indicated that a 12-kb structural variation in the promoter of Cla97C10G203450 (ClLOG) led to a significant expression difference in this gene in watermelon lines with different trichome lengths. In addition, a virus-induced gene silencing analysis confirmed that ClLOG positively regulated trichome elongation. These findings provide new information and identify a potential target gene for controlling multicellular trichome elongation in watermelon.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00122-024-04601-4
The ClLOG gene encoding a cytokinin riboside 5ʹ-monophosphate phosphoribohydrolase determines trichome length in watermelon, which is associated with its promoter variations.
Abstract
Trichomes, which are differentiated from epidermal cells, are special accessory structures that cover the above-ground organs of plants and possibly contribute to biotic and abiotic stress resistance. Here, a bulked segregant analysis (BSA) of an F2 population with significant variations in trichome length was undertaken. A 1.84-Mb candidate region on chromosome 10 was associated with trichome length. Resequencing and fine-mapping analyses indicated that a 12-kb structural variation in the promoter of Cla97C10G203450 (ClLOG) led to a significant expression difference in this gene in watermelon lines with different trichome lengths. In addition, a virus-induced gene silencing analysis confirmed that ClLOG positively regulated trichome elongation. These findings provide new information and identify a potential target gene for controlling multicellular trichome elongation in watermelon.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00122-024-04601-4
