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Press Trust of India29th of April 2019 08:39:05 IST
The use of gene editing tools to create virus-resistant plants could have an unintended consequence of the spread of mutated viruses, according to scientists, including one of Indian origin.
Researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada and the University of Liege in Belgium have attempted genetic engineering of cbadava plants to control viruses.
"Because this technology is creating a pressure of selection on the viruses so that they evolve more quickly and gives them the means to evolve them, it has given a mutant virus resistant to our interventions," said Devang Mehta, of University of Alberta.
For the study, published in the journal Genome biology, the researchers used a new gene editing technology called CRISPR-Cas9 to design cbadava plants that can cut mosaic virus DNA and make it resistant to its harmful effects. They failed and decided to sequence hundreds of viral genomes found in each plant to understand exactly what happened.
Image of representation. Wikimedia Commons
"We discovered that the CRISPR-Cas9 pressure on the virus probably caused it to evolve in ways that increased resistance to the intervention," said Mehta, who said: CRISPR-Cas9 has many other applications in food and agriculture that do not pose the same risks.
CRISPR-Cas9 is found in nature, where bacteria use it to defend against viruses. However, researchers have found that technology leads to different results for plants – and they stress the importance of screening for such unexpected results in the future.
The cbadava plant is a starchy root vegetable that is eaten as food in the tropics.
Cbadava is a staple crop grown in South America, Africa and Asia, from which one billion people consume most of their calories a day. Each year, cbadava crops are affected by cbadava mosaic disease, which causes 20% crop losses. This is the mosaic disease that researchers have been striving for.
The research team is encouraging other scientists using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to develop virus-resistant plants and test their plants for similar viral mutations.
"We need to do more research on these types of applications of CRISPR-Cas9 technology before conducting field trials," Mehta said.
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