Safer Potatoes Developed Using CRISPR-Cas9
March 14, 2018| |
Steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) are toxic specialized metabolites found in Solanaceae crops such as potato. Potato contains the SGAs α-solanine and α-chaconine, which are produced from cholesterol. The research team from Kobe University Graduate School of Agriculture in Japan led by Akiyama Ryota aimed to develop potato lines with less or no SGAs via genome editing.
The team applied CRISPR-Cas9 system to knockout the potato CYP88B1 gene. The gene is involved in a later step of the SGA biosynthetic pathway and is expressed along with the SGA biosynthetic genes. The CYP88B1-knockout potatoes showed no accumulation of SGAs. Furthermore, the corresponding amounts of steroidal saponins, important compounds in the pharmaceutical industry, accumulated in the knockout potatoes as a result of the decrease in SGA synthesis.
For more information on this study, read the article in Plant Growth Regulation.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- African Seed Companies Encouraged to Invest in Biotechnology
- Ugandan Journalists Vow to Change the Rhetoric against Science
- Scientists Engineer Crops to Use 25% Less Water; Resist Drought
- Researchers Discover How Weeds Develop Glyphosate Resistance
- Forty Years of Data Quantifies Benefits of Bt Corn Adoption Across Different Crops
- Report Confirms Ban on GM Crops in South Australia Does Not Deliver Any Benefits to Farmers
- Japan to Finalize GE Labeling Requirements Soon
- Study Quantifies Cost of Delayed GM Canola Adoption in Australia
- GMOinfo.eu Website is Launched
-
Research Highlights
- Researchers Develop GM Sugarcane with Pyramided Insecticidal Proteins
- Maize Gene Improves Drought Tolerance and Grain Yield in Rice
- RNAi Confers Resistance Against Sugarcane Mosaic Virus
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- First-Ever Transgenic Tick to Help Fight Tick-Borne Diseases
-
Announcements
- 2nd Biotechnology World Symposium
-
Plant
- CRISPR-Cas9 Found Applicable to Alfalfa
- Scientists Study Seed Germination in Lettuce Using CRISPR
- Chinese Researchers Study Abiotic Stress Tolerance Genes in Rice
- Safer Potatoes Developed Using CRISPR-Cas9
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (April 17, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 10, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet