News & Events

Animal mating displays provide some of nature’s most dramatic and curious spectacles. Ring doves (Streptopelia risoria) are a case in point (Fig. 1). According to Cheng (ref. 1, p. 2), “When a male ring dove courts a female, he starts with majestic bowing and cooing (bow coo) interspersed with strutting directed toward the female…

Prof. Richard P. Van Duyne, a National Academy of Sciences member who played a pivotal role in starting the field of plasmonics and promoting nanoscience, died on July 28, 2019, at the age of 73. Rick’s prominence as a great intellect and visionary is apparent by his tremendous academic success, including a host of academic awards, an impressive publication record, and generations of mentees working to live up to the potential he saw in them.

In rapeseed, seed yield is closely associated with silique-related traits such as silique length (SL) and seed weight (SW). Previously identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) revealed that SL and SW are complex traits and many QTLs overlap. However, the genetic characterization of the association between SL and SW is poorly understood.

Efficient removal of the editing machinery continues to be a concern in genome editing. To address this challenge, researchers at Universidad Politécnica de Valencia in Spain and Durham University in the UK used the modular cloning system Golden Braid and included a fluorescence-dependent transgene monitoring module to the genome-editing toolbox.

A cross-institutional group of post graduate students and researchers from Japan's Kobe University, Niigata University, NARO Japan, and CSIRO in Australia has revealed the role of genes in controlling flowering time in the Brassica rapa family. The B. rapa family is made up of leafy and root vegetables including Chinese cabbage, pak choi, turnip, and komatsuna. To flower, these plants need vernalization, a period of prolonged cold exposure which triggers flowering.

Both Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) and Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) can induce soybean mosaic diseases. To date, few studies have explored soybean resistance against these two viruses simultaneously. In this work, Raiden, a cultivar resistant to both SMV and BCMV, was crossed with a susceptible cultivar, Williams 82, to fine-map the resistance genes. After inoculating ~ 200 F₂ individuals with either SMV (SC6-N) or BCMV (HZZB011), a segregation ratio of 3 resistant:1 susceptible was observed, indicating that for either virus, a single dominant gene confers resistance.

The event is the second installment of training, which is part of the Progressive Manpower Enhancement Program developed by DA Biotechnology Program Office and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). The objective of the training is to increase skilled manpower in research and development, regulatory, managerial, policy, and communication aspects in agricultural biotechnology.

Three new traits for canola, which can increase crop yields and reduce harmful environmental impacts, has been developed by Cibus, a biotechnology company that has pioneered precision gene editing for agriculture. The new traits pertain to pod shatter, resistance to Sclerotinia, and weed control. The new traits precisely edit the canola genome to reduce pod shatter

Selection of stable varieties producing the highest amount of extractable sugar per hectare (ha), resistant to diseases, and respecting environmental criteria is undoubtedly the main target for sugar beet breeding. As sodium, potassium, and αα-amino nitrogen in sugar beets are the impurities that have the biggest negative impact on white sugar extraction, it is interesting to reduce their concentration in further varieties.

Scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology developed a virus-mediated genome editing system using CRISPR-Cas9 for Nicotiana benthamiana, a close relative of tobacco. Using the system, genome engineering reagents can be delivered into all plant parts in a simple and efficient way, enabling the recovery of progeny plants with the desired genomic modifications, without the need for transformation and tissue culture.

Consumers in the US were more willing to purchase unlabeled GM fruits and vegetables after being shown food products with "genetically modified" labels. This is the finding of the study conducted by Cornell University published in PLOS One journal. The study was published just as food sellers prepare for the new federal law requiring GM food disclosure labels which will take effect on January 1, 2022.

Gene functional studies often rely on the expression of a gene of interest as transcriptional and translational fusions with specialized tags. Ideally, this is done in the native chromosomal contexts to avoid potential misexpression artifacts. Although recent improvements in genome editing make it possible to directly modify the target genes in their native chromosomal location, classical transgenesis is still the preferred experimental approach chosen in most gene tagging studies because of its time efficiency and accessibility.