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BULLETIN 1
Review Sheds Light on the Current State of GM Crop Adoption in Africa
Review Sheds Light on the Current State of GM Crop Adoption in Africa
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ISAAA April 24, 2024
The integration of genetically modified (GM) crops into agricultural systems necessitates a comprehensive understanding of public perceptions, legal structures, and ethical challenges. In Africa, only a few of the 54 African countries have approved the cultivation of GM crops. To provide an in-depth understanding of the benefits and difficulties associated with the adoption of GM crops, a review published in GM Crops & Food provides significant insights into the current state of GM crop adoption in Africa.
The paper identified possible solutions for factors affecting the acceptability of GM crops in Africa. Low adoption of GM crops is associated with ethical, economic, and environmental concerns. However, the acceptance of GM crops in Africa is believed to improve with the establishment of biosafety laws and risk assessment platforms, confined field trials (CFTs) for growing GM crops, and local GM seed production capacity.
Current public opinions, regulations and policies, ethical challenges, and case studies analyzing the effective implementation of GM crops in certain African nations were also discussed in the review. Aside from the improved knowledge and comprehension of the benefits of GM crops, the paper highlights the need for cooperative efforts to standardize regulatory frameworks to expedite the adoption of GM crops in the country.
For more information, read the full review on GM Crops & Food.
The paper identified possible solutions for factors affecting the acceptability of GM crops in Africa. Low adoption of GM crops is associated with ethical, economic, and environmental concerns. However, the acceptance of GM crops in Africa is believed to improve with the establishment of biosafety laws and risk assessment platforms, confined field trials (CFTs) for growing GM crops, and local GM seed production capacity.
Current public opinions, regulations and policies, ethical challenges, and case studies analyzing the effective implementation of GM crops in certain African nations were also discussed in the review. Aside from the improved knowledge and comprehension of the benefits of GM crops, the paper highlights the need for cooperative efforts to standardize regulatory frameworks to expedite the adoption of GM crops in the country.
For more information, read the full review on GM Crops & Food.
BULLETIN 2
Review of 3D Printing and Bioprinting Applications in Diabetes Treatment
An Indian researcher reviewed the different applications of 3D printing and bioprinting for the treatment of diabetes. The research may be helpful in the health industry.
Diabetes is a disease characterized by elevated blood sugar levels. The disorder can cause health complications, such as nerve damage, chronic kidney disease, and heart disease. However, early and appropriate treatment will help manage diabetes and avoid these complications.
A researcher from National Institute of Technology Calicut studied the usage of the different types of 3D (Bio)printing technologies in the treatment of diabetes and its complications. The review discussed the 3D bioprinting of diabetic disease models that can be used for screening of anti-diabetic drugs. The article also talked about the development of 3D bioprinted organs and cell-seeded hydrogels, which include pancreas engineering for the production of insulin.
Read the article on Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology for more information.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=20789
Diabetes is a disease characterized by elevated blood sugar levels. The disorder can cause health complications, such as nerve damage, chronic kidney disease, and heart disease. However, early and appropriate treatment will help manage diabetes and avoid these complications.
A researcher from National Institute of Technology Calicut studied the usage of the different types of 3D (Bio)printing technologies in the treatment of diabetes and its complications. The review discussed the 3D bioprinting of diabetic disease models that can be used for screening of anti-diabetic drugs. The article also talked about the development of 3D bioprinted organs and cell-seeded hydrogels, which include pancreas engineering for the production of insulin.
Read the article on Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology for more information.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=20789
BULLETIN 3
Exploring the influence of a single-nucleotide mutation in EIN4 on tomato fruit firmness diversity through fruit pericarp microstructure
Shiwen Zhang, Shengqing Wu, Zhiqi Jia, Junhong Zhang, Ying Li, Xingyun Ma, Bingli Fan, Panqiao Wang, Yanna Gao, Zhibiao Ye, Wei Wang
Plant Biotechnology Journal; 16 April 2024; https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.14352
Summary
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) stands as one of the most valuable vegetable crops globally, and fruit firmness significantly impacts storage and transportation. To identify genes governing tomato firmness, we scrutinized the firmness of 266 accessions from core collections. Our study pinpointed an ethylene receptor gene, SlEIN4, located on chromosome 4 through a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of fruit firmness in the 266 tomato core accessions. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (A → G) of SlEIN4 distinguished lower (AA) and higher (GG) fruit firmness genotypes. Through experiments, we observed that overexpression of SlEIN4AA significantly delayed tomato fruit ripening and dramatically reduced fruit firmness at the red ripe stage compared with the control. Conversely, gene editing of SlEIN4AA with CRISPR/Cas9 notably accelerated fruit ripening and significantly increased fruit firmness at the red ripe stage compared with the control. Further investigations revealed that fruit firmness is associated with alterations in the microstructure of the fruit pericarp. Additionally, SlEIN4AA positively regulates pectinase activity. The transient transformation assay verified that the SNP (A → G) on SlEIN4 caused different genetic effects, as overexpression of SlEIN4GG increased fruit firmness. Moreover, SlEIN4 exerts a negative regulatory role in tomato ripening by impacting ethylene evolution through the abundant expression of ethylene pathway regulatory genes. This study presents the first evidence of the role of ethylene receptor genes in regulating fruit firmness. These significant findings will facilitate the effective utilization of firmness and ripening traits in tomato improvement, offering promising opportunities for enhancing tomato storage and transportation capabilities.
See https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pbi.14352
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) stands as one of the most valuable vegetable crops globally, and fruit firmness significantly impacts storage and transportation. To identify genes governing tomato firmness, we scrutinized the firmness of 266 accessions from core collections. Our study pinpointed an ethylene receptor gene, SlEIN4, located on chromosome 4 through a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of fruit firmness in the 266 tomato core accessions. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (A → G) of SlEIN4 distinguished lower (AA) and higher (GG) fruit firmness genotypes. Through experiments, we observed that overexpression of SlEIN4AA significantly delayed tomato fruit ripening and dramatically reduced fruit firmness at the red ripe stage compared with the control. Conversely, gene editing of SlEIN4AA with CRISPR/Cas9 notably accelerated fruit ripening and significantly increased fruit firmness at the red ripe stage compared with the control. Further investigations revealed that fruit firmness is associated with alterations in the microstructure of the fruit pericarp. Additionally, SlEIN4AA positively regulates pectinase activity. The transient transformation assay verified that the SNP (A → G) on SlEIN4 caused different genetic effects, as overexpression of SlEIN4GG increased fruit firmness. Moreover, SlEIN4 exerts a negative regulatory role in tomato ripening by impacting ethylene evolution through the abundant expression of ethylene pathway regulatory genes. This study presents the first evidence of the role of ethylene receptor genes in regulating fruit firmness. These significant findings will facilitate the effective utilization of firmness and ripening traits in tomato improvement, offering promising opportunities for enhancing tomato storage and transportation capabilities.
See https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pbi.14352
Fig.: Subcellular localization and expression of the SlEIN4 gene and characterization of overexpression and CRISPR/Cas9-engineered mutation lines. (a) The subcellular localization of SlEIN4 in tobacco protoplast. (a-1 to a-4) Fluorescence signals derived from 35 S::GFP and mCherry in tobacco protoplast. (a-5 to a-8) Fluorescence signals derived from 35 S::SlEIN4-GFP and mCherry in tobacco protoplast. Scale bars = 20 μm. (b) Relative expression of SlEIN4 in different Micro Tom (MT) tissues by qPCR. Root, roots; Stem, stems; YL, young leaves; ML, mature leaves; Flower, flower; IMG, immature green fruit; MG, mature green fruit; BR, breaker fruit; YR, yellow ripening fruit; RR, red ripening fruit. The quantitative fluorescence results are shown from three biological and three technical replicates. The Actin gene (Solyc11g005330) was used as the internal control. Data are presented as means ± SD (n = 3). Asterisks indicate the significant difference between root and other tissues revealed by t-test: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. (c) The SlEIN4 promoter drives GUS gene expression in MT. Tissues of transgenic tomato plants were stained with X-Gluc. Root, roots; Stem, stems; YL, young leaves; ML, mature leaves; LB, leaf bud; Flower, flower; IMG, immature green fruit; MG, mature green fruit; BR, breaker fruit; YR, yellow ripening fruit; RR, red ripening fruit. Scale bars = 10 mm. (d) Schematic illustration of the two sgRNA target sites (red arrows) in SlEIN4. Black arrows represent the locations of PCR genotyping primers. (e) CR-SlEIN4 alleles were identified from two T0 mutant lines. Allele sequences, as determined by sequencing, are shown. Both CR-SlEIN4-11 and CR-SlEIN4-13 had base deletions near the sgRNA target site. Red text indicates the sgRNA target sequence, and black boxes indicate protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) sequences. (f) The relative expression level of SlEIN4. Values are presented as means ± SD (n = 3). Asterisks indicate the significant difference between wild-type and transgenic plants revealed by t-test: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001.
