BULLETIN 1

Survey Shows Public Sentiment on Microbiome Engineering

Experts from North Carolina State University conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1,000 adult US residents to collect public sentiment about microbiome engineering. The results are published in Frontiers in Public Health.
Results showed that those from younger age brackets have more knowledge and a more positive perception of the benefits of microbiome engineering, while the older generations are more cautious and concerned about the risks. The researchers also identified political affiliation, education level, and trust in science as factors affecting public attitudes. The Democrats, individuals with college education, and those who expressed high trust in science were the ones who viewed microbiome engineering positively. Close to half of the respondents from various demographics remain uncertain about the benefits and risks of the technology. The majority of the participants expressed their support for government oversight to ensure ethical and responsible use of the technology.
The results of the study provide insights for policymakers and researchers to promote informed public engagement and direct responsible innovation in microbiome engineering.
Read the research article for more findings.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21144

 

BULLETIN 2
Genomes of Alopecurus Grasses Shed Light on Weed Resistance

The genomes of two new Alopecurus grasses, blackgrass and orange/shortawn foxtail, have been sequenced by researchers from the Rothamsted Research, Earlham Institute, and the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) initiative, revealing how similar weeds can dominate wheat fields that are geographically separated by over 5,000 miles.
Both blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides) and orange/shortawn foxtail (Alopecurus aequalis) are native to many regions across the Northern Hemisphere. However, blackgrass is a predominant agricultural weed in Western European winter wheat and barley, whereas orange foxtail has emerged as the dominant agricultural weed for similar crops in parts of China and Japan. Both weeds grow in grass crops and frequently out-compete cereal crops. Changes in cropping practices have not been effective in controlling the weeds, and both have evolved resistance to multiple herbicides.
The orange foxtail genome at 2.83 Gb is smaller than the blackgrass genome (3.572 Gb) and contained just over 33,750 protein-coding genes. The genome is assembled into a total of seven chromosome-level scaffolds, and most are complete with telomere sequences on one or both ends.
“When we compared the orange foxtail and blackgrass genomes to barley - a crop they grow in - we were surprised to find that the orange foxtail genome structure is more like barley than blackgrass. Such genomic rearrangements highlight areas of functional conservation or divergence that drive adaptations to specific environments or ecological niches,” said Rothamsted researcher Dr. Dana MacGregor, last author on the A. aequalis genome and co-author for the A. myosuroides genome.
For more details, read the news release in Rothamsted Research News.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21157

SCIENTIFIC NEWS
MaGA20ox2f, an OsSD1 homolog, regulates flowering time and fruit yield in banana
Wei Zhao, Xiaoxuan Sun, Shaoping Wu, Shuofan Wu, Chunhua Hu, Heqiang Huo, Guiming Deng, Ou Sheng, Fangcheng Bi, Weidi He, Tongxin Dou, Tao Dong, Chunyu Li, Siwen Liu, Huijun Gao, Chunlong Li, Ganjun Yi & Qiaosong Yang
Molecualr Breeding; 09 January 2025; Volume 45, article number 12, (2025)

  

Abstract
Previous studies illustrated that two banana GA20 oxidase2 (MaGA20ox2) genes, Ma04g15900 and Ma08g32850, are implicated in controlling banana growth and development; however, the biological function of each gene remains unknown. Ma04g15900 protein (termed MaGA20ox2f in this article) is the closest homolog to the Rice SD1 (encoded by ‘green revolution gene’, OsSD1) in the banana genome. The expression of MaGA20ox2f is confined to leaves, peduncles, fruit peels, and pulp. Knockout of MaGA20ox2f by CRISPR/Cas9 led to late flowering and low-yielding phenotypes. The flowering time of ΔMaGA20ox2f #1 and ∆MaGA20ox2f #2 lines was delayed approximately by 61 and 58 days, respectively, while fruit yield decreased by 81.13% and 76.23% compared to wild type under normal conditions. The endogenous levels of downstream products of GA20 oxidase, GA15 and GA20, were significantly reduced in ∆MaGA20ox2f mutant shoots and fruits, but bioactive GA1 was only significantly reduced in the mutant fruits. Quantitative proteomics analysis identified 118 up-regulated proteins and 309 down-regulated proteins in both ΔMaGA20ox2f #1 and ∆MaGA20ox2f #2 lines, compared to wild type, with the down-regulated proteins primarily associated with photosynthesis, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism. The decreased chlorophyll contents in ΔMaGA20ox2f #1 and ∆MaGA20ox2f #2 lines corroborated the findings of the proteomics data. We propose that photosynthesis inhibition caused by lower chlorophyll contents in ΔMaGA20ox2f mutant leaves and GA1 deficiency in ΔMaGA20ox2f mutant fruits may be the two critical reasons contributing to the late flowering and low-yielding phenotypes of ΔMaGA20ox2f mutants.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11032-024-01523-3