Sunday Evening News 439 - Week 35 - 2025
Weekly report on genetic engineering, genome editing, biotechnology and legal regulation.
August 2025-08-25 - August 2025-08-31
If you do nothing, you can't go wrong.
This has become the unspoken norm
If you paint everything in soft tones,
won't get any hard results,
and if you ask how every decision will be received,
you'll never get anywhere.
Meetings – Conferences / Treffen - Veranstaltungen
BIOFLAVOUR 2025 - Biotechnology of Flavours, Fragrances and Functional Ingredients
16 – 18 September 2025 - DECHEMA-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
https://dechema.de/en/bioflavour2025.html
EFSA: Workshop - Protein safety predictions and speed in risk assessment
Online: 12 November 2025, 13.30 - 17.00 (CET) / 13 November 2025, 13.30 - 17.00 (CET)
https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/events/workshop-protein-safety-predictions-and-speed-risk-assessment
Save the date
SEC/GDCh: Symposium: Pflanzenschutz – Ja, aber wie?
Pflanzenschutz – die Herausforderung für die Landwirtschaft
13. September 2025, 13:00 – 18:00 Uhr - DECHEMA-Haus, Frankfurt am Main,
Press Releases - Media / Presse- und Medienberichte
Eurofins: Challenges and trends in international GMO monitoring
https://www.eurofins.de/food-analysis/food-news/food-testing-news/international-gmo-monitoring/
Shah-Neville W.: Can genetically modified crops help us adapt to climate change?
https://www.labiotech.eu/in-depth/genetically-modified-crops-climate-change/
Institute of Science Tokyo: How proteins bind to RNA: the dual mechanism of zinc fingers and disordered regions
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1096228
von Tiedemann A.: Viewpoint: What the media and policymakers miss about containing agricultural pests—
Exaggerating risk and underestimating benefits
Eberhart B.: Wir müssen endlich eine gescheite Risikoforschung entwickeln
Deter A.: Wie die Rückverfolgbarkeit von CRISPR/Cas-Pflanzen gelingt
https://www.topagrar.com/acker/news/fingerabdruck-erlaubt-nachweis-20017465.html
DLG: Warum wir einen modernen Pflanzenschutz brauchen
Only some selected press releases or media reports are listed here. The daily up-date of the press releases and media reports are ►here: August week 35
Publications – Publikationen
Allea: The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity -REVISED EDITION 2023
https://allea.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/European-Code-of-Conduct-Revised-Edition-2023.pdf
Buch/Book: Fraeyman N. (2025): Glyphosate 2023–2033
Glyphosate is probably the best herbicide ever, making it the most widely used worldwide. In Europe, a permit to use glyphosate till 2033 was granted in December 2023, notwithstanding controversies about its effect on environmental health. Evidence is piling up demonstrating the toxic effects of glyphosate at every level of the animal kingdom, from the unicellular micro-organisms up to the top of the hierarchical chain, including humans. The mechanism of the toxicity for plants is well known, and gradually, the biological targets, structures and molecules causing the toxicity in creatures other than plants become visible. The discussion focused on the carcinogenic character of glyphosate, in particular after the declaration of IARC in 2015 that glyphosate was “probably carcinogenic to humans”, i.e. class 2A according to their classification rules. In recent years, it became evident that carcinogenicity is possibly not the main toxic phenomenon but the effect at the level of the enteric microbiome, also in humans, and the link to neuronal diseases such as Parkinson's is gaining importance. Taken together, glyphosate is not an innocent molecule that chemical companies want us to believe. A steady, gradual, time-limited and well-controlled ban on glyphosate is deemed necessary, even with a reluctant, conservative interpretation of the precautionary principle.
This book is about all this. Much attention is paid to the toxicity with both biological and medical data as backing information. The book leads the reader through 10 chapters from the fundamental molecular properties of glyphosate to considerations about the different toxic elements, such as carcinogenicity, neurological diseases, enteric microbiome problems, etc. Most chapters consist of two parts: the first is a common, low-scientific explanation and interpretation of the subject. Part 2 is a full scientific discussion that includes the appropriate peer-reviewed references and requires basic knowledge of the item. The controversies on human health are discussed in detail, particularly on the methodology applied by the decision-making bodies on whether or not the use of glyphosate should continue. The effect of a ban on agriculture, economics and human well-being needs careful consideration.
The subject cannot be treated in depth without some ethical and philosophical reflections beyond glyphosate or pesticides, including historical examples of other molecules from which lessons need to be drawn, as is supposed to happen. We have witnessed the debacle of asbestos, the devastating effects of smoking cigarettes, the appearance and disappearance of DDT, the problem of bisphenols, etc. The question is whether we are witnessing a similar or comparable situation nowadays with glyphosate.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-97540-0
Warriner, K., Hasani, M., Warriner, L., Farber, J., Takeuchi, M. (2025): Modern indoor farming and food safety – A review of
hazards, controls and regulatory consideration. Rome, FAO. | https://doi.org/10.4060/cd6554en
Indoor farming has a long history, with greenhouses being used for centuries to improve productivity and the availability of various plant-based products. In the new generation of indoor farming, the production of short-term crops such as microgreens and baby leaf, along with mature leafy greens that are traditionally cultivated outdoors, has become commercially viable. The perceived benefits of indoor farming include contributing to sustainability, adaptability to climate change and improving food security. It is also often assumed that the controlled environment offers better management of food safety risks than conventional agriculture, though this has not been fully validated. This document explores both the perceived and the actual benefits of indoor farming and describes various growing systems to examine related food safety concerns. Based on current evidence, food safety issues linked to indoor-farmed crops are generally similar to those found in conventional outdoor farming. These issues primarily relate to inputs such as seeds, growth substrates and water, as well as operations that share features with sprouted seed production. The focus of this document is largely on microbiological hazards, which dominate both the literature and the real-world risks due to the high-humidity, water-based systems commonly used in indoor farming. However, chemical hazards are also addressed, particularly those arising from environmental contamination or equipment-related materials. The document is intended to support food safety competent authorities in identifying key elements for inclusion in food safety programmes and regulatory frameworks related to indoor farmed crops.
https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/3934c285-1ef2-4da3-8993-c6211576b9c7
BEN AOUN, W., BIAVETTI, I., BUSSAY, A., CERRANI, I., CLAVERIE, M. et al., JRC MARS Bulletin - Crop monitoring in Europe -
August 2025 - Vol. 33 No 7 - Summer crops severely affected in the south and east, THIEMIG, V., BEN AOUN, W. and NIEMEYER, S. (editors), Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/5297971, JRC141590.
Hot and dry conditions across southern and eastern Europe severely affected summer crops such as maize, sunflowers and soybean. Persistent drought in Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, southern Ukraine and Türkiye caused irreversible yield losses, especially in rainfed areas. In Hungary and eastern Croatia, heat and rainfall deficits further reduced yield expectations.
In contrast, conditions were more favourable in western and northern Europe. In Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Poland and the Benelux countries, adequate rainfall and moderate temperatures – despite some heatwaves – supported summer crop development, with yield expectations around or above the five-year average. Grasslands in northern regions also performed well.
The winter crop season ended in early July, with an outlook broadly confirming our previous forecasts, mostly close to or above the five-year average.
Looking ahead, cooler and wetter conditions are forecast for central and northern Europe, while southern and south-eastern regions are expected to continue facing hot and dry conditions.
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC141590
Yao, Y. et al. (22025): Wheat2035: Integrating pan-omics and advanced biotechnology for future wheat design.
Molecular Plant, Volume 18, Issue 2, 272 - 297
Wheat (Triticum aestivum) production is vital for global food security, providing energy and protein to millions of people worldwide. Recent advancements in wheat research have led to significant increases in production, fueled by technological and scientific innovation. Here, we summarize the major advancements in wheat research, particularly the integration of biotechnologies and a deeper understanding of wheat biology. The shift from multi-omics to pan-omics approaches in wheat research has greatly enhanced our understanding of the complex genome, genomic variations, and regulatory networks to decode complex traits. We also outline key scientific questions, potential research directions, and technological strategies for improving wheat over the next decade. Since global wheat production is expected to increase by 60% in 2050, continued innovation and collaboration are crucial. Integrating biotechnologies and a deeper understanding of wheat biology will be essential for addressing future challenges in wheat production, ensuring sustainable practices and improved productivity.
Subedi, U., Hughes, K.B., Lehmann, M., Chen, G. et al. (2025), The down-regulation of MsWOX13-2 promotes enhanced
waterlogging resilience in alfalfa. Plant J, 123: e70411. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70411
Soil waterlogging events are predicted to escalate globally as a result of climate change, threatening the sustainability of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and livestock production in the future. WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) transcription factors are known to play a role in numerous developmental processes and abiotic stress responses; however, their function in waterlogging resilience has not been investigated as of yet. In the present study, we functionally characterized the alfalfa MsWOX13-2 gene, which we found to be differentially expressed in response to waterlogging. Although the RNAi-mediated silencing of MsWOX13-2 in alfalfa did not affect growth or morphology under normally watered conditions, MsWOX13-2 RNAi plants exhibited higher chlorophyll retention and maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II, as well as greater survivability, compared to empty vector genotypes under waterlogging. Subsequent analyses indicated that MsWOX13-2 RNAi leaves accumulated less H2O2 and displayed a greater increase in superoxide dismutase activity under waterlogging, resulting in reduced oxidative damage, which may have contributed to the enhanced waterlogging tolerance in these genotypes. RNA-Seq analysis confirmed alterations in the transcript levels of genes related to antioxidants, as well as those involved in photosynthesis, anaerobic fermentation, phytohormone-related pathways, and transcriptional regulation in the leaves of WOX13-2 RNAi genotypes compared to wild type following waterlogging stress. Bi-allelic mutation of MsWOX13-2 in alfalfa using CRISPR/Cas9 confirmed its function in waterlogging response. Overall, our findings suggest that MsWOX13-2 acts as a negative regulator of waterlogging response in alfalfa, providing a novel candidate for downstream breeding endeavors in this important species.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/tpj.70411
Kanwal, F., Riaz, A., Ali, A., Shouchuang, W., Varshney, R.K., Jun, Y.,(2025): Beyond Gene Sequences: Pan-Transcriptome links
the transcriptional complexity to functional diversity,
Plant Communications | doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101486.
Sakthivel S.K., Vennapusa A.R., Melmaiee K. (2025): Enhancing quality and climate resilient traits in vegetatively propagated
polyploids: transgenic and genome editing advancements, challenges and future directions. Front. Genet. 16:1599242 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2025.1599242
Vegetatively propagated polyploid crops such as potato, strawberry, sugarcane, and banana play a crucial role in global agriculture by meeting essential nutritional and food demands. The quality of the economically important traits in these crops is significantly affected by global climate change. However, their complex genomes and clonal propagation nature pose significant challenges for traditional breeding to improve quality and climate-resilient traits. Transgenics and genome editing offer promising solutions in crop improvement to enhance yield, quality, and biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Despite these advancements, several challenges persist, such as a lack of genotype-independent transformation protocols, random transgene integration, unintended mutations, and somaclonal variation. The complexity of polyploid genomes also necessitates optimizing editing tools to improve precision and efficiency. Regulatory hurdles and public acceptance further influence the commercial success of genetically engineered crops. Employing efficient transgene-free genome-editing platforms can help to overcome the regulatory hurdles and accelerate breeding even in heterozygous backgrounds. This review reports the recent progress, obstacles, and prospects of transgenics and genome editing in vegetatively propagated crops, namely, potato, strawberry, banana, and sugarcane, focusing on quality and climate-resilient traits and methods to address technical challenges and navigate regulatory hurdles. The reported advancements in genetic engineering approaches for addressing challenges in improving the vegetatively propagated polyploid crops have tremendous potential in ensuring food security and agricultural sustainability in the face of climate change.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2025.1599242/full
You Y., Gaona M.R., Bai Y., van Kan J.A.L., Wolters A.-M.A. (2025): Winning by Losing: Exploiting Modified Plant Susceptibility
Genes to Counteract Necrotrophic Fungal Pathogens. Plant Biotechnology Journal |https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.70331
The infection of plants by pathogens is an intricate process in which genes from both the host and pathogen contribute to the infection process. Susceptibility (S) genes have been defined as plant genes that encode functions that are exploited by pathogens to invade and reproduce in host plants. Mutations in S-genes therefore result in reduced susceptibility to the pathogen. The identity and mode of action of S-genes in interactions of plants with biotrophic fungi have been studied since the cloning of the barley mlo gene in the late 1990s. The infection strategy of necrotrophic fungi, however, substantially differs from that of biotrophic fungi and therefore is likely to be facilitated by distinct physiological processes in a host plant. There is a rapidly increasing amount of information about S-genes in plants that facilitate the infection by necrotrophic fungi and their mode of action. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge on plant S-genes for susceptibility to necrotrophic fungi and categorise them based on cellular compartments and physiological processes. With recent examples, we subsequently discuss the challenges and opportunities of exploiting impaired plant S-genes for breeding crops with disease resistance.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pbi.70331
Joestl, S., Alomari, D.Z., Alqudah, A.M., Börner, A., Geisslitz, S., and Scherf, K.A. (2025): Quantitation of amylase/trypsin
inhibitors in barley using targeted LC-MS/MS. Food Res Int, 218, 116910. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116910
Amylase/trypsin-inhibitors (ATIs) are known allergens and triggers of non-celiac wheat sensitivity. Until now, ATIs were only quantitated in wheat species. We developed and validated a targeted stable isotope dilution analysis LC-MS/MS method to quantitate ten barley-specific ATIs, including one monomeric and one dimeric amylase-inhibitor, four chloroform/methanol-soluble types, three subtilisin/chymotrypsin-inhibitors and one amylase/subtilisin-inhibitor. After successful validation in terms of precision, recovery and limits of detection and quantitation, the method was applied to 181 barley accessions from the Global EcoSeed panel, comprising 113 two-row and 68 six-row barleys of different genetic backgrounds. The overall ATI content was 1.1–5.2 mg/g, corresponding to 0.7–3.6 % of the total protein content with no clear distinction between two-row and six-row barleys. This study is the first to provide insights on the ATI content and composition of barley, which can be used to make low-ATI foods for special dietary needs.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996925012487?via%3Dihub
Hirata D.B., Kondo F., Kawase H., Fernandez-Lafuente R., Oda M.; (2025):Enzymatic polyethylene terephthalate degradation
using a genetically stabilized cutinase immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles. Journal of Environmental Management 389, 126269 | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126269
The enzymatic depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is an alternative recycling method that enables PET to be converted into monomers, which can be repeatedly used to synthesize new plastics without losing their mechanical properties. In this work, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) were synthesized, subsequently coated with silica, aminated, and activated with glutaraldehyde to serve as supports for the immobilization of a thermostable mutant of cutinase, Cut190∗∗SS. This biocatalyst (SPIONs-GLU-Cut190∗∗SS) was employed in the depolymerization of PET into terephthalic acid (TPA), mono-(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalic acid (MHET) and bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET), and a Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) was performed to optimize the reaction conditions. The immobilization allowed the enzyme to maintain almost unaltered activity and improved its stability. Under optimized conditions (biocatalyst percentage of 6.50 % (w/v) and PET concentration of 50 mg/mL, 48 h of reaction at 70 °C), the biocatalyst SPIONs-GLU-Cut190∗∗SS generated 13.45 ± 0.87 μmol of total monomers resulting in PET depolymerization yield of 10.10 %, i.e., a 6-fold increase in monomer generation performance compared to that found using a similar amount of free cutinase. Alternative strategies for immobilization should be explored to further improve the depolymerization of PET into monomers.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301479725022455
EFSA
FEZ Panel (2025): Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme bacillolysin from the non-genetically modified
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain AGS 430. EFSA Journal, 23(8), e9620. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9620
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9620
Bonatti, M., Lenzi, P., Lewandowska, A., Munoz Guajardo, I. P., Papadopoulou, N., Raffaello, T., & Sánchez-Brunete, E. (2025):
Literature horizon scan for new scientific data on plants and their products obtained by new genomic techniques (January 2022 to May 2025). EFSA Journal, 23(8), e9619. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9619
The European Food Safety Authority has issued several scientific opinions on plants obtained through certain new genomic techniques (NGTs) following requests received by the European Commission. These scientific opinions provided considerations on the potential risks associated with NGTs, as compared to conventional breeding techniques and established genomic techniques (EGTs), and on the applicability of existing guidelines for the risk assessment of plants obtained by NGTs and products thereof. Against this background, EFSA was asked by the European Commission ‘to provide scientific and technical assistance for a regular horizon scanning to assess new scientific data on plants, animals, microorganisms and products thereof obtained by new genomic techniques’, to assess any new data and evidence emerging from these studies and to consider whether it may have implications for EFSA's relevant scientific opinions. A critical assessment of the quality and relevance of these studies should also be conducted, and biannual reports delivered to the Commission. This report presents the outcome of the pilot literature search on new scientific data on plants and products thereof obtained by NGTs, performed as described in the protocol made available for public consultation in May–June 2025. The report describes search strategies and inclusion/exclusion criteria applied for the literature review and presents the results of the assessment performed for new scientific data (January 22 to May 25) on plants and their products obtained by NGTs. The report discusses the limitations of the search and provides recommendations for improvement. EFSA concluded that none of the studies retrieved by the literature search contained new hazards or risks not previously considered in EFSA scientific opinions.
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9619