Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Inaiara D. Pacheco, Linda L. Walling, Peter W. Atkinson
Summary: The order Hemiptera, which includes significant agricultural pests, has been largely overlooked in genetic control approaches due to the difficulty of introducing genetic material into these insects. However, recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9 editing have shown promise in achieving gene editing in Hemipteran species. This review discusses the challenges and opportunities for extending genetic control strategies to this agriculturally important insect order.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Ying Yan, Roswitha A. Aumann, Irina Haecker, Marc F. Schetelig
Summary: Genetic control strategies, such as the sterile insect technique, have been effective in combating insect pests worldwide. The advancement of CRISPR technology, along with the availability of genomic resources, has greatly facilitated the development of novel genetic control insect strains for area-wide and species-specific pest control programs. This review discusses the progress made in CRISPR-based genetic control strategies, including gene drive, sex ratio distortion, CRISPR-engineered sexing strains, and precision-guided sterile insect technique. The potential resistance mechanisms and regulations are also examined, and recent developments like stacked and conditional systems are highlighted. The authors believe that the ongoing advancements in genetic technology will continue to shape the future of pest control strategies.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Caiyan Zhao, Yaya Cheng, Pei Huang, Changrong Wang, Weipeng Wang, Mengjiao Wang, Wenbo Shan, Hongzhang Deng
Summary: X-CC9 system enables selective activation of therapeutic agents at tumor sites through X-ray guidance and remote control, leading to M2-to-M1 repolarization within the tumor microenvironment. This strategy significantly improves antitumor efficacy and induces robust immune responses.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Alaa Hassanien, Imen Saadaoui, Kira Schipper, Sara Al-Marri, Tasneem Dalgamouni, Mustapha Aouida, Suhur Saeed, Hareb M. M. Al-Jabri
Summary: In recent years, there has been growing interest in reusing produced water due to increased demand and regional variability of available water resources, as well as the need for sustainable water supply planning. Bioremediation using microalgae has emerged as a promising method for treating produced water, removing major contaminants and even heavy metals and hydrocarbons. Genetic modification of microalgae has been considered as a novel approach to enhance their capabilities and phytoremediation of wastewater. This article provides a comprehensive overview of using genetically engineered microalgae for wastewater bioremediation, discussing various methods and the opportunities and challenges associated with this approach.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Han-Xiang Deng, Hong Zhai, Yong Shi, Guoxiang Liu, Jessica Lowry, Bin Liu, Eanna B. Ryan, Jianhua Yan, Yi Yang, Nigel Zhang, Zhihua Yang, Erdong Liu, Yongchao C. Ma, Teepu Siddique
Summary: Deng et al. assess the effects of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in two transgenic mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for up to 2 years. They find that the genomic editing prevented the development of ALS-like pathology without any notable side-effects, which provides preclinical evidence of the effectiveness and long-term safety of the CRISPR/Cas9 therapeutic approach.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sara E. Miller, Michael J. Sheehan
Summary: Deleterious variants can persist in populations at low frequencies, contributing to disease burden. Distinguishing deleterious variants from neutral variation based on genomics data alone is challenging. Haplodiploid species provide an opportunity to study deleterious variants as selection is more visible in haploid males, resulting in more efficient purging of deleterious mutations. This study on Northern paper wasps confirms that males have fewer deleterious variants, suggesting the presence of many highly deleterious mutations in the population.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ugochi Jennifer Nwaokorie, Kristina Reinmets, Lorena Azevedo de Lima, Pratik Rajendra Pawar, Kurshedaktar Majibullah Shaikh, Audrey Harris, Michael Kopke, Kaspar Valgepea
Summary: Gas fermentation is a sustainable approach to produce fuels and chemicals using gas-fermenting microbes. Acetogens that use the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway are the most advanced biocatalysts for gas fermentation, but our understanding of the genes involved in the C-1-fixing gene cluster is incomplete. This study investigates the role of two genes, hp and nbp, in gas-fermenting acetogen Clostridium autoethanogenum.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Rachma Wikandari, Manikharda, Susanne Baldermann, Andriati Ningrum, Mohammad J. Taherzadeh
Summary: Modern biotechnology, including cell culture, marker assisted selection, and genetic engineering, accelerates food production by reducing land usage, increasing genetic gain, introducing desired traits, and enhancing resistance. Challenges and future prospects need to be further explored.
Review
Entomology
Muhammad Asad, Dan Liu, Jing Chen, Guang Yang
Summary: This article reviews the application of gene drive systems in insect population suppression. Different types of gene drive systems are discussed, along with their advantages and limitations. This review provides a foundation for developing specific gene drive systems for insect population suppression.
BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Agronomy
Sanchita Singh, Somnath Rahangdale, Shivali Pandita, Gauri Saxena, Santosh Kumar Upadhyay, Geetanjali Mishra, Praveen C. Verma
Summary: CRISPR/Cas9 technology has shown great potential in controlling insect pests by editing their genomes, leading to more effective pest management strategies. Researchers have highlighted the efficiency and future possibilities of using CRISPR/Cas9 in pest control.
Article
Entomology
Yayun Zuo, Zeyu Wang, Xuan Ren, Yakun Pei, Ahmed A. A. Aioub, Zhaonong Hu
Summary: miRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that play crucial roles in regulating various biological processes. This study shows that the loss of a specific miRNA may not result in obvious phenotypic changes, suggesting redundancy in miRNA function. Transcriptome analysis reveals changes in global gene expression patterns in the miRNA knockout strain, indicating the potential role of miRNAs in transcriptional adaptation. These findings highlight the importance of studying miRNA function and its impact on gene expression.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Clare Pacini, Joshua M. Dempster, Isabella Boyle, Emanuel Goncalves, Hanna Najgebauer, Emre Karakoc, Dieudonne van der Meer, Andrew Barthorpe, Howard Lightfoot, Patricia Jaaks, James M. McFarland, Mathew J. Garnett, Aviad Tsherniak, Francesco Iorio
Summary: This study integrates two large CRISPR-Cas9 screens to correct biases, provide greater statistical power, identify additional biomarkers, and improve the detection of common essential genes, enhancing cancer-specific analyses.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Hyun-Woo Je, Chang-Hun Ji, Jun-Yong Kim, Hahk-Soo Kang
Summary: The CRISPR/Cas9 system faces toxicity issues in Streptomyces genome engineering due to overexpression of the Cas9 protein. The CaExTun platform has been developed to optimize Cas9 expression for reduced toxicity while maintaining sufficient DSB activity. This tool enables rapid optimization of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in a species-specific manner, facilitating genome engineering efforts in Streptomyces.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Kevin P. Oh, Aaron B. Shiels, Laura Shiels, Dimitri Blondel, Karl J. Campbell, J. Royden Saah, Alun L. Lloyd, Paul Q. Thomas, Fred Gould, Zaid Abdo, John R. Godwin, Antoinette J. Piaggio
Summary: Research has found significant genetic variations in invasive mouse populations colonizing islands, with moderate to high levels of differentiation from nearby source populations. Locally fixed Cas9 genomic targets were observed in female fertility genes across all island populations.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Review
Agronomy
Samriti Sharma, Arjun Chauhan, Raj Kumar, Sneha Dobhal, Rajinder Kaur, Krishan Kumar, Kamlesh Verma
Summary: Food is essential for meeting the nutritional needs of living beings, with horticultural crops serving as the main source. Horticulture crops face challenges in enhancing productivity due to environmental changes, which affect plant growth, development, physiology, and yield. Advances in bioinformatics and sequencing technologies have made it possible to study the molecular mechanisms of plant stress responses, highlighting the importance of investigating stress tolerance mechanisms in economically valuable horticultural crops.
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Ofer Aidlin Harari, Diego Santos-Garcia, Mirit Musseri, Pnina Moshitzky, Mitulkumar Patel, Paul Visendi, Susan Seal, Rotem Sertchook, Osnat Malka, Shai Morin
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ofer Aidlin Harari, Amir Dekel, Dor Wintraube, Yuri Vainer, Rita Mozes-Koch, Esther Yakir, Osnat Malka, Shai Morin, Jonathan D. Bohbot
Summary: In some hemipteran insects, a specialized feeding behavior on phloem sap has evolved, which requires the ability to locate feeding sites buried within plant tissue. This study investigated the molecular mechanism involved in this behavior in the phloem-feeding whitefly Bemisia tabaci and found that sugar sensing by gustatory receptors plays a role. Choice assays showed that B. tabaci consistently preferred diets with higher sucrose concentrations. Further analysis identified a specific gustatory receptor, BtabGR1, that was involved in sucrose sensing. Silencing BtabGR1 disrupted the ability of B. tabaci to distinguish between non-phloem and phloem concentrations of sucrose. These findings suggest that sugar receptors enable phloem-feeding insects to track sucrose concentration gradients and locate feeding sites.