Sunday Evening News 429 - Week 25 - 2025
Weekly report on genetic engineering, genome editing, biotechnology and legal regulation.
June 2025-06-16 - June 2025-06-22
Meetings – Conferences / Treffen - Veranstaltungen
Summer School 2025 Biotransformations
18. – 21.07. 2025, Bad Herrenalb
https://dechema.de/en/summerschool2025/_/Summer%20School%202025_Biotransformation.pdf
BIOFLAVOUR 2025 - Biotechnology of Flavours, Fragrances and Functional Ingredients
16.-18.09.2025, DECHEMA-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
https://dechema.de/en/bioflavour2025.html
Press Releases - Media / Presse- und Medienberichte
Allgemein – Generell
Open Letter of Business and Agri-Food Industry stakeholders on the need for a high-performing EFSA to boost the
competitiveness of the EU agri-food sector
https://euroseeds.eu/app/uploads/2025/06/Open-industry-letter-on-better-EFSA-performance__FINAL.pdf
WePlanet: Positionspaper May 2025: Growing Smarter – Navigating Patents, Breeders` Rights, and Equity in Agricultural
Innovations in Europe
Review 585: Glyphosate – Latest Findings
https://mailchi.mp/gmwatch.org/review-585-glyphosate-latest-findings?e=ca15334802
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Testbiotech: Weder wissenschaftlich begründet noch geeignet, um mögliche Risiken von NGT-Pflanzen angemessen zu
behandeln“
“Neither scientifically justified nor suitable to adequately address potential risks of NGT plants”
The study: The European Commission’s Regulatory Proposal on New Genomic Techniques in Plants: A Spotlight on Equivalence, Complexity, and Artificial Intelligence
https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202506.1088/v1
FSANZ: Approval Report – Proposal P1055 - Definitions for gene technology and new breeding techniques
https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-06/01_P1055_Approval%20Report.pdf
Regulators assessing bid to grow and sell genetically modified purple tomato in Australia
Only some selected press releases or media reports are listed here. The daily up-date of the press releases and
media reports are ►here: June, week 25
Publications – Publikationen
Swinnen, J and Barrett, C. B. (Eds.). 2025. Global food policy report 2025: Food policy: Lessons and priorities for a
changing world. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174108
Over the past 50 years, the world’s food systems have evolved tremendously amid major economic, environmental, and social changes. Throughout this period, policy research has played a critical role in providing evidence and analysis to inform decision-making that supports agricultural growth, better livelihoods, and improved food security, nutrition, and well-being for all.
As a special edition marking the Institute’s 50th anniversary, the 2025 Global Food Policy Report examines the evolution and impact of food policy research and assesses how it can better equip policymakers to meet future challenges and opportunities. The report’s thematic and regional chapters, written by leading IFPRI researchers and colleagues, explore the broad range of issues and showcase research related to food systems, from tenure and agriculture extension to social protection, gender, and nutrition to conflict, political economy, and agricultural innovation, and more. As we approach 2050, policy research and analysis will be essential to help end poverty and malnutrition by building sustainable healthy food systems.
https://cgspace.cgiar.org/items/f4fbb62c-f8df-4734-8a95-2ce35f5f9904
Ríos F.-D, Quintana SA,Gómez Paniagua P, Arrúa AA, Brozón GR, Bertoni Hicar MS, Castro Alegría A and Goberna MF (2025):
Regulatory challenges and global trade implications of genome editing in agriculture. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 13:1609110.| https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2025.1609110
Genome editing revolutionized agriculture by improving crop productivity, disease resistance, and adaptation to adverse climatic conditions. However, it has faced significant regulatory challenges due to divergent regulations between regions. Although Europe classified these organisms as genetically modified organisms, Africa, Asia, and Latin America implemented more flexible regulatory frameworks, which encouraged innovation and the participation of small companies. These differences could generate high costs, delays in commercialization, and difficulties in product traceability, affecting research and development decisions. This article analyzes the main regulatory challenges and their impact on global trade, proposing strategies for regulatory harmonization to promote transparency, reduce trade barriers, and maximize the potential of these technologies in the face of global challenges such as food security and climate change.
Ríos D.F., Candia N.B., Quintana S.A, Goberna M. F. (2025): Naturally transgenic plants and the need to rethink regulatory
triggers in biotechnology. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.,Sec. Biosafety and Biosecurity Volume 13 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1600610
Genome editing revolutionized agriculture by improving crop productivity, disease resistance, and adaptation to adverse climatic conditions. However, it has faced significant regulatory challenges due to divergent regulations between regions. Although Europe classified these organisms as genetically modified organisms, Africa, Asia, and Latin America implemented more flexible regulatory frameworks, which encouraged innovation and the participation of small companies. These differences could generate high costs, delays in commercialization, and difficulties in product traceability, affecting research and development decisions. This article analyzes the main regulatory challenges and their impact on global trade, proposing strategies for regulatory harmonization to promote transparency, reduce trade barriers, and maximize the potential of these technologies in the face of global challenges such as food security and climate change.
Hultgren, A., Carleton, T., Delgado, M. et al. (2025): Impacts of climate change on global agriculture accounting for
adaptation. Nature 642, 644–652 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09085-w
Climate change threatens global food systems1, but the extent to which adaptation will reduce losses remains unknown and controversial2. Even within the well-studied context of US agriculture, some analyses argue that adaptation will be widespread and climate damages small3,4, whereas others conclude that adaptation will be limited and losses severe5,6. Scenario-based analyses indicate that adaptation should have notable consequences on global agricultural productivity7,8,9, but there has been no systematic study of how extensively real-world producers actually adapt at the global scale. Here we empirically estimate the impact of global producer adaptations using longitudinal data on six staple crops spanning 12,658 regions, capturing two-thirds of global crop calories. We estimate that global production declines 5.5 × 1014 kcal annually per 1 °C global mean surface temperature (GMST) rise (120 kcal per person per day or 4.4% of recommended consumption per 1 °C; P < 0.001). We project that adaptation and income growth alleviate 23% of global losses in 2050 and 34% at the end of the century (6% and 12%, respectively; moderate-emissions scenario), but substantial residual losses remain for all staples except rice. In contrast to analyses of other outcomes that project the greatest damages to the global poor10,11, we find that global impacts are dominated by losses to modern-day breadbaskets with favourable climates and limited present adaptation, although losses in low-income regions losses are also substantial. These results indicate a scale of innovation, cropland expansion or further adaptation that might be necessary to ensure food security in a changing climate.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09085-w
Mugoti, A., Nyamukanza, C., Munengwa, A., Moyo, S., & Chikumba, N. (2025). Effects of climate change on goat production
and mitigatory measures in semiarid savanna ecosystems. Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/1943815X.2025.2513899
Climate change poses a significant threat to goat production in semiarid savannas, disrupting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers who rely on these hardy animals for both income and food security. This review analyses the unique vulnerabilities of goats in this ecosystem, focusing on how rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, and altered vegetation impact their browsing behaviour, feed availability, and overall health. A systematic search of globally indexed scientific databases to identify relevant peer-reviewed literature on the impacts of climate change on goat production in semiarid regions was performed. This review mainly focused on studies published within the last two decades to capture the latest research advancements. Climate change negatively affects goat productivity through decreased availability of high-quality forage, impaired reproductive function due to heat stress, and increased incidence of diseases associated with changing weather patterns. These challenges disproportionately impact smallholder farmers who rely on goats for subsistence and income generation. However, promising mitigation strategies offer hope for building resilience. Emerging practices such as developing heat-tolerant goat breeds and utilizing drought-resistant forage species through selective breeding programmes and ecological restoration initiatives can be enhanced and adopted. Additionally, studies highlight the effectiveness of improved animal husbandry techniques, including strategic water resource management and diversified feed sources, in enhancing goat health and productivity under changing environmental conditions. By quantifying the potential impact of climate change on goat production and highlighting the positive outcomes of novel adaptation techniques, this review emphasizes the urgency of fostering resilient goat farming practices.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1943815X.2025.2513899?src=exp-la#abstract
Mehtab-Singh M., Kaye C., Kaur R., Singh J. (2025): A highly efficient CRISPR-Cas9-based gene-editing system in oat
(Avena sativa L.)
Plant Biotechnology Journal https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.70146
Sasaki, K., Urano, K., Mimida, N., Nonaka, S., Ezura, H., & Imai, R. (2025): A long shelf-life melon created via CRISPR/Cas9
RNP-based in planta genome editing. Frontiers in Genome Editing, 7, 1623097. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgeed.2025.1623097
Genome editing in melon (Cucumis melo L.) remains a significant challenge due to the inefficiencies associated with conventional cell culture-based transformation methods. In the present study, a novel in planta Particle Bombardment (iPB) approach was developed to enable DNA-free genome editing in melon without the need for cell culture. CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) were coated onto gold particles and delivered directly into shoot apical meristem tissue, which harbors potential germline cells, via particle bombardment. This method was applied to enhance fruit shelf-life by targeting an ethylene biosynthesis gene (CmACO1). The resulting cmaco1 mutant demonstrated a significantly extended shelf-life, attributable to reduced ethylene production during fruit ripening. This delayed ripening phenotype was reversed upon treatment with exogenous ethylene, confirming the functional impact of CmACO1 disruption. Because this strategy bypasses cell culture, the iPB-RNP method offers a solution to common limitations in genome editing, such as genotype dependence and somaclonal variation. Consequently, this technique holds substantial promise for advancing commercial melon breeding efforts and may be broadly applicable to other species within the Cucurbitaceae family.
Berman, A., Su, N., Li, Z. et al. Construction of multi-targeted CRISPR libraries in tomato to overcome functional
redundancy at genome-scale level. Nat Commun 16, 4111 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59280-6
Genetic variance is vital for breeding programs and mutant screening, yet traditional mutagenesis methods wrestle with genetic redundancy and a lack of specificity in gene targeting. CRISPR-Cas9 offers precise, site-specific gene editing, but its application in crop improvement has been limited by scalability challenges. In this study, we develop genome-wide multi-targeted CRISPR libraries in tomato, enhancing the scalability of CRISPR gene editing in crops and addressing the challenges of redundancy while maintaining its precision. We design 15,804 unique single guide RNAs (sgRNAs), each targeting multiple genes within the same gene families. These sgRNAs are classified into 10 sub-libraries based on gene function. We generate approximately 1300 independent CRISPR lines and successfully identify mutants with distinct phenotypes related to fruit development, fruit flavor, nutrient uptake, and pathogen response. Additionally, we develop CRISPR-GuideMap, a double-barcode tagging system to enable large-scale sgRNA tracking in generated plants. Our results demonstrate that multi-targeted CRISPR libraries are scalable and effective for large-scale gene editing and offer an approach to overcome gene functional redundancy in basic plant research and crop breeding.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59280-6
Sundararajan, P., Ghosh, S., Kelbessa, B.G. et al. (2025): The impact of spray-induced gene silencing on cereal phyllosphere
microbiota. Environmental Microbiome 20, 1 | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-024-00660-8
Background: Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a major disease affecting cereal crops including wheat, barley, rye, oats and maize. Its predominant causal agent is the ascomycete fungus Fusarium graminearum, which infects the spikes and thereby reduces grain yield and quality. The frequency and severity of FHB epidemics has increased in recent years, threatening global food security. Spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) is an alternative technique for tackling this devastating disease through foliar spraying with exogenous double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to silence specific pathogen genes via RNA interference. This has the advantage of avoiding transgenic approaches, but several aspects of the technology require further development to make it a viable field-level management tool. One such existing knowledge gap is how dsRNA spraying affects the microbiota of the host plants.
Results:We found that the diversity, structure and composition of the bacterial microbiota are subject to changes depending on dsRNA targeted and host studied, while the fungal microbiota in the phyllosphere remained relatively unchanged upon spraying with dsRNA. Analyses of fungal co-occurrence patterns also showed that F. graminearum established itself among the fungal communities through negative interactions with neighbouring fungi. Through these analyses, we have also found bacterial and fungal genera ubiquitous in the phyllosphere, irrespective of dsRNA treatment. These results suggest that although rarer and less abundant microbial species change upon dsRNA spray, the ubiquitous bacterial and fungal components of the phyllosphere in wheat and barley remain unchanged.
Conclusion: We show for the first time the effects of exogenous dsRNA spraying on bacterial and fungal communities in the wheat and barley phyllospheres using a high-throughput amplicon sequencing approach. The results obtained further validate the safety and target-specificity of SIGS and emphasize its potential as an environmentally friendly option for managing Fusarium head blight in wheat and barley.
https://environmentalmicrobiome.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40793-024-00660-8
Darino M., Jaiswal N., Darma R., Kroll, E. (2025): The Fusarium graminearum Effector Protease FgTPP1 Suppresses Immune
Responses and Facilitates Fusarium Head Blight Disease. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 38:2, 297-314 | https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-08-24-0103-FI
Most plant pathogens secrete effector proteins to circumvent host immune responses, thereby promoting pathogen virulence. One such pathogen is the fungus Fusarium graminearum, which causes Fusarium head blight (FHB) disease on wheat and barley. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that F. graminearum expresses many candidate effector proteins during early phases of the infection process, some of which are annotated as proteases. However, the contributions of these proteases to virulence remain poorly defined. Here, we characterize an F. graminearum endopeptidase, FgTPP1 (FGSG_11164), that is highly upregulated during wheat spikelet infection and is secreted from fungal cells. To elucidate the potential role of FgTPP1 in F. graminearum virulence, we generated FgTPP1 deletion mutants (ΔFgtpp1) and performed FHB infection assays. Deletion of FgTPP1 reduced the virulence of F. graminearum as assessed by spikelet bleaching. Infection with wild-type F. graminearum induced full bleaching in about 50% of the spikes at 10 to 11 days postinfection, whereas this fraction was reduced to between 18 and 27% when using ΔFgtpp1 mutants. Transient expression of green fluorescent protein-tagged FgTPP1 revealed that FgTPP1 localizes, in part, to chloroplasts and attenuates chitin-mediated activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, reactive oxygen species production, and cell death induced by an autoactive disease resistance protein when expressed in planta. Notably, the FgTPP1 protein is conserved across the Ascomycota phylum, suggesting that it may be a core effector among ascomycete plant pathogens. These properties make FgTPP1 an ideal candidate for decoy substrate engineering, with the goal of engineering resistance to FHB.
https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/MPMI-08-24-0103-FI
Hocq, R., Horvath, J., Stumptner, M. et al. (2025): A mega transposon drives the adaptation of Thermoanaerobacter kivui to
carbon monoxide. Nat Commun 16, 4217 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59103-8
Acetogens are promising industrial biocatalysts for upgrading syngas, a gas mixture containing CO, H2 and CO2 into fuels and chemicals. However, CO severely inhibits growth of many acetogens, often requiring extensive adaptation to enable efficient CO conversion (carboxydotrophy). Here, we adapt the thermophilic acetogen Thermoanaerobacter kivui to use CO as sole carbon and energy source. Isolate CO-1 exhibits rapid growth on CO and syngas (co-utilizing CO, H2 and CO2) in batch and continuous cultures (µmax ~ 0.25 h−1). The carboxydotrophic phenotype is attributed to the mobilization of a CO-dependent megatransposon originating from the locus responsible for autotrophy in T. kivui. Transcriptomics reveal the crucial role the redox balance plays during carboxydotrophic growth. These insights are exploited to rationally engineer T. kivui to grow on CO. Collectively, our work elucidates a primary mechanism responsible for the acquisition of carboxydotrophy in acetogens and showcases how transposons can orchestrate evolution.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59103-8
Sitara, A., Hocq, R., Lu, A.J. et al. (2025): Hi-TARGET: a fast, efficient and versatile CRISPR type I-B genome editing tool
for the thermophilic acetogen Thermoanaerobacter kivui. Biotechnol. Biofuels Bioprod. 18, 49 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-025-02647-0
Background: Due to its ability to grow fast on CO2, CO and H2 at high temperatures and with high energy efficiency, the thermophilic acetogen Thermoanaerobacter kivui could become an attractive host for industrial biotechnology. In a circular carbon economy, diversification and upgrading of C1 platform feedstocks into value-added products (e. g., ethanol, acetone and isopropanol) could become crucial. To that end, genetic and bioprocess engineering tools are required to facilitate the development of bioproduction scenarios. Currently, the genome editing tools available for T. kivui present some limitations in speed and efficiency, thus restricting the development of a powerful strain chassis for industrial applications.
Results: In this study, we developed the versatile genome editing tool Hi-TARGET, based on the endogenous CRISPR Type I-B system of T. kivui. Hi-TARGET demonstrated 100% efficiency for gene knock-out (from both purified plasmid and cloning mixture) and knock-in, and 49% efficiency for creating point mutations. Furthermore, we optimized the transformation and plating protocol and increased transformation efficiency by 245-fold to 1.96 × 104 ± 8.7 × 103 CFU μg−1. Subsequently, Hi-TARGET was used to demonstrate gene knock-outs (pyrE, rexA, hrcA), a knock-in (ldh::pFAST), a single nucleotide mutation corresponding to PolCC629Y, and knock-down of the fluorescent protein pFAST. Analysis of the ∆rexA deletion mutant created with Hi-TARGET revealed that the transcriptional repressor rexA is likely involved in the regulation of the expression of lactate dehydrogenase (ldh). Following genome engineering, an optimized curing procedure for edited strains was devised. In total, the time required from DNA to a clean, edited strain is 12 days, rendering Hi-TARGET a fast, robust and complete method for engineering T. kivui.
Conclusions: The CRISPR-based genome editing tool Hi-TARGET developed for T. kivui can be used for scarless deletion, insertion, point mutation and gene knock-down, thus fast-tracking the generation of industrially-relevant strains for the production of carbon-negative chemicals and fuels as well as facilitating studies of acetogen metabolism and physiology.
https://biotechnologyforbiofuels.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13068-025-02647-0
Augustijn HE, Reitz ZL, Zhang L, Boot JA, Elsayed SS, Challis GL, et al. (2025): Genome mining based on transcriptional
regulatory networks uncovers a novel locus involved in desferrioxamine biosynthesis. PLoS Biol 23(6): e3003183 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003183
Bacteria produce a plethora of natural products that are in clinical, agricultural and biotechnological use. Genome mining has uncovered millions of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that encode their biosynthesis, the vast majority of them lacking a clear product or function. Thus, a major challenge is to predict the bioactivities of the molecules these BGCs specify, and how to elicit their expression. Here, we present an innovative strategy whereby we harness the power of regulatory networks combined with global gene expression patterns to predict BGC functions. Bioinformatic analysis of all genes predicted to be controlled by the iron master regulator DmdR1 combined with co-expression data, led to identification of the novel operon desJGH that plays a key role in the biosynthesis of the iron overload drug desferrioxamine (DFO) B in Streptomyces coelicolor. Deletion of either desG or desH strongly reduces the biosynthesis of DFO B, while that of DFO E is enhanced. DesJGH most likely act by changing the balance between the DFO precursors. Our work shows the power of harnessing regulation-based genome mining to functionally prioritize BGCs, accelerating the discovery of novel bioactive molecules.
https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003183
EFSA
GMO Panel (2025): Assessment of genetically modified maize NK603 for renewal authorisation under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003
(dossier GMFF-2023-21250). EFSA Journal, 23(6), e9505. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9505
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9505
FEZ Panel (2025): Safety evaluation of the food enzyme endo-polygalacturonase from the genetically modified Trichoderma reesei
strain AR-414. EFSA Journal, 23(6), e9484. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9484
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9484
FEZ Panel (2025): Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme mannan endo-1,4-β-mannosidase from the non-
genetically modified Aspergillus niger strain AE-HCM. EFSA Journal, 23(6), e9489. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9489
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9489
FEZ Panel (2025).: Safety evaluation of the food enzyme sucrose:sucrose fructosyltransferase from the genetically modified Yarrowia
lipolytica strain E4772. EFSA Journal, 23(6), e9490. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9490
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9490
FEZ Panel (2025): Safety evaluation of the food enzyme pullulanase from the genetically modified Bacillus licheniformis strain
DP-Dzp107. EFSA Journal, 23(6), e9481. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9481
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9481