The innovation, known as CRISPR-Assisted Inheritance (CAIN), can increase gene transmission rates up to 99% in just two generations!
Chinese scientists have engineered a solution by which they could bypass natural plant gene inheritance. They aim to deploy a CRISPR-based gene editing system to help the transmission of preferred genes even when they aren’t suitable for a plant.
The scientists devised a system that would use both a toxin and an antidote which would directly affect the male plant germline. Through this process, the researchers could overcome the natural Mendelian transmission rate. This can help increase the gene transmission rates up to 99% over two generations.
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Genetic manipulation helps tackle food security challenges
The team published their findings in Nature Plants, a peer-reviewed journal, and highlighted that food security has been a multifaceted challenge for a long, especially from agricultural weeds. The issue has been exacerbated by agricultural weeds and the environmental crisis of invasive plants.
“The genetic manipulation of wild plant populations has emerged as a potentially powerful and transformative strategy” the team proposed.
However, traditional breeding for ideal genes can be problematic for plants, especially those constrained by Mendelian inheritance and Darwinian natural selection. The former describes how genetic traits are passed down through generations.
“Synthetic gene drives, inspired by natural selfish genetic elements and transmitted to progeny at super-Mendelian (greater than 50 per cent) frequencies, present transformative potential for disseminating traits that benefit humans throughout wild populations, even facing potential fitness costs,” the team added.
The team also constructed a gene-driving system called CRISPR-Assisted Inheritance using the NPG1 (CAIN) method.
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CAIN method: Revolutionizing gene transmission through toxin-antidote strategy
The CAIN method utilizes a toxin-antidote strategy in the male germline to bypass traditional Mendelian inheritance. A guide Cas9 cassette disrupts the NPG1 gene, inhibiting pollen germination.
Subsequently, a CRISPR-resistant “antidote” copy of NPG1 rescues pollen cells carrying the desired gene drive.
“CAIN transmission rates greatly exceeded the expected Mendelian inheritance of 50 per cent in heterozygous male parents, reaching 88 to 99 per cent within two successive generations,” the team wrote.
“We established CAIN as a state-of-the-art tool to efficiently modify entire plant populations.”
Balancing crop protection with sustainability using CAIN
CAIN helps in developing a higher amount of resistance alleles. The researchers targeted the male germline due to the fertility limitations of toxin-antidote gene drives targeting the female germline.
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“This gene drive-based approach thus seeks to balance crop protection and environmental considerations to minimise the loss of biodiversity while optimising productivity,” the researchers wrote.
China has long advocated for seed source independence and emphasized sustained efforts to achieve China’s food security.
“As we venture into this new frontier in genetic engineering, [CAIN] and other gene drive systems could reshape ecological management and agricultural practices,” the researchers concluded.
NOTE – This article was originally published in interestingengineering and can be viewed here
