Public perception of folate-biofortified genetically modified lettuce varieties in Brazil.

Lettuce is one of the most widely consumed vegetables in the world, commonly eaten fresh in salads, sandwiches, wraps, and as a garnish in various dishes. Consequently, it is a very promising vehicle to deliver vitamins, such as folate (vitamin B9), to a specific population using biofortified varieties generated by conventional or molecular breeding. A new genetically modified lettuce was generated with increased folate content. However, some issues related to public perception regarding this technology should still be evaluated. The aim of this study was to analyze whether consumers are willing to accept a folate-biofortified GM lettuce that could become available to the Brazilian market. A questionnaire involving several issues regarding lettuce consumption was answered by 2,391 people from almost all Brazilian states. When informed that the folic acid biofortified lettuce is a transgenic plant, 46.1% of respondents stated that they would eat it and 30.5% stated that it would be a possibility. This study demonstrated that if there is any explanation regarding the advantage in relation to the use of biotechnology, like enrichment with folic acid, the number of people who accept it increases.

Whitefly-tolerant transgenic common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) line.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a staple food in Brazil with both nutritional and socioeconomic importance. As an orphan crop, it has not received as much research attention as the commodity crops. Crop losses are strongly related to virus diseases transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, one of the most important agricultural pests in the world. The main method of managing whitefly-transmitted viruses has been the application of insecticides to reduce vector populations. Compared to chemical vector control, a more sustainable strategy for managing insect-borne viruses is the development of resistant/tolerant cultivars. RNA interference has been applied to develop plant lines resistant to the whitefly in other species, such as tomato, lettuce and tobacco. Still, no whitefly-resistant plant has been made commercially available to date. Common bean is a recalcitrant species to in vitro regeneration; therefore, stable genetic transformation of this plant has been achieved only at low frequencies (<1%) using particle bombardment. In the present work, two transgenic common bean lines were obtained with an intron-hairpin construct to induce post-transcriptional gene silencing against the B. tabaci vATPase (Bt-vATPase) gene, with stable expression of siRNA. Northern blot analysis revealed the presence of bands of expected size for siRNA in leaf samples of the line Bt-22.5, while in the other line (11.5), the amount of siRNA produced was significantly smaller. Bioassays were conducted with both lines, but only the line Bt-22.5 was associated with significant mortality of adult insects (97% when insects were fed on detached leaves and 59% on the whole plant). The expression of the Bt-vATPase gene was 50% lower (p < 0.05) in insects that fed on the transgenic line Bt-22.5, when compared to non-transgenic controls. The transgenic line did not affect the virus transmission ability of the insects. Moreover, no effect was observed on the reproduction of non-target organisms, such as the black aphid Aphis craccivora, the leafminer Liriomyza sp. and the whitefly parasitoid Encarsia formosa. The results presented here serve as a basis for the development of whitefly-tolerant transgenic elite common bean cultivars, with potential to contribute to the management of the whitefly and virus diseases.

Overexpression of an aquaglyceroporin gene from Trichoderma harzianum improves water-use efficiency and drought tolerance in Nicotiana tabacum.

Aquaporins (AQPs) and aquaglyceroporins (AQGPs) are integral membrane proteins that mediate the transport of water and solutes, such as glycerol and urea, across membranes. AQP and AQGP genes represent a valuable tool for biotechnological improvement of plant tolerance to environmental stresses. We previously isolated a gene encoding for an aquaglyceroporin (ThAQGP), which was up-regulated in Trichoderma harzianum during interaction with the plant pathogen Fusarium solani. This gene was introduced into Nicotiana tabacum and plants were physiologically characterized. Under favorable growth conditions, transgenic progenies did not had differences in both germination and growth rates when compared to wild type. However, physiological responses under drought stress revealed that transgenic plants presented significantly higher transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic efficiency and faster turgor recovery than wild type. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis demonstrated the presence of ThAQGP transcripts in transgenic lines, showing the cause-effect relationship between the observed phenotype and the expression of the transgene. Our results underscore the high potential of T. harzianum as a source of genes with promising applications in transgenic plants tolerant to drought stress.

Use of transgenic Aedes aegypti in Brazil: risk perception and assessment.

The OX513A strain of Aedes aegypti, which was developed by the British company Oxitec, expresses a self-limiting transgene that prevents larvae from developing to adulthood. In April 2014, the Brazilian National Technical Commission on Biosafety completed a risk assessment of OX513A and concluded that the strain did not present new biological risks to humans or the environment and could be released in Brazil. At that point, Brazil became the first country to approve the unconstrained release of a genetically modified mosquito. During the assessment, the commission produced a comprehensive list of - and systematically analysed - the perceived hazards. Such hazards included the potential survival to adulthood of immature stages carrying the transgene - should the transgene fail to be expressed or be turned off by exposure to sufficient environmental tetracycline. Other perceived hazards included the potential allergenicity and/or toxicity of the proteins expressed by the gene, the potential for gene flow or increased transmission of human pathogens and the occupation of vacant breeding sites by other vector species. The Zika epidemic both elevated the perceived importance of Ae. aegypti as a vector - among policy-makers and regulators as well as the general public - and increased concerns over the release of males of the OX513A strain. We have therefore reassessed the potential hazards. We found that release of the transgenic mosquitoes would still be both safe and of great potential value in the control of diseases spread by Ae. aegypti, such as chikungunya, dengue and Zika.

La souche OX513A d'Aedes aegypti, qui a été créée par la société britannique Oxitec, exprime un transgène autolimitant qui empêche les larves de se développer et de devenir adultes. En avril 2014, la Commission technique nationale de biosécurité du Brésil a procédé à une évaluation des risques liés à la souche OX513A et conclu qu'elle ne présentait pas de nouveaux risques biologiques pour les êtres humains ou l'environnement et pouvait être lâchée au Brésil. Le Brésil est donc devenu le premier pays à approuver le lâcher non contraint d'un moustique génétiquement modifié. Au cours de l'évaluation, la commission a établi une liste exhaustive des risques perçus, qu'elle a par ailleurs systématiquement analysés. Ces risques incluaient la survie potentielle à l'âge adulte des larves immatures porteuses du transgène ­ si le transgène ne s'exprime pas ou est désactivé par une exposition à la tétracycline suffisante dans l'environnement. Les autres risques perçus incluaient les potentielles propriétés allergisantes et/ou la toxicité des protéines exprimées par le gène, l'éventualité d'un flux de gènes ou d'une transmission accrue d'agents pathogènes pour l'homme et l'occupation de sites de reproduction vacants par d'autres espèces vectrices. L'épidémie d'infections à virus Zika a accentué l'importance accordée par les responsables politiques, les organismes de réglementation ainsi que le grand public à Ae. aegypti en tant que moustique vecteur, et a accru l'inquiétude relative au lâcher de mâles de la souche OX513A. Nous avons donc réévalué les risques potentiels. Nous estimons que le lâcher de moustiques transgéniques serait à la fois sans danger et extrêmement utile pour lutter contre les maladies transmises par Ae. aegypti, telles que le chikungunya, la dengue et le virus Zika.

La cepa OX513A de Aedes aegypti, que desarrolló la empresa británica Oxitec, expresa un transgén autolimitado que impide que las larvas se desarrollen hasta la edad adulta. En abril de 2014, la Comisión Nacional Técnica de Bioseguridad de Brasil realizó una evaluación de riesgos de OX513A y concluyó que la cepa no presentaba nuevos riesgos biológicos para los humanos o el medioambiente y que podría liberarse en Brasil. En ese momento, Brasil se convirtió en el primer país en aprobar la liberación ilimitada de un mosquito modificado genéticamente. A lo largo de la evaluación, la comisión redactó una lista completa, y analizada sistemáticamente, de las posibles contingencias. Entre dichos peligros se encontraba la posible supervivencia hasta la edad adulta de etapas inmaduras que portan el transgén, en caso de que éste no consiga expresarse o se inutilice debido a la exposición a la suficiente tetraciclina medioambiental. Otras posibles contingencias eran la alergia y/o toxicidad de las proteínas expresadas por el gen, la posibilidad de un flujo genético o el aumento de la transmisión de patógenos humanos y la ocupación de lugares de cría desocupados por parte de otras especies vectores. La epidemia por el virus de Zika aumentó la importancia de Ae. aegypti como vector, entre los responsables y reguladores políticos, así como entre el público general, y aumentó las preocupaciones acerca de la liberación de machos de la cepa OX513A. Por lo tanto, se han vuelto a evaluar los posibles riesgos. Se ha descubierto que la liberación de mosquitos transgénicos sería segura y tendría un gran valor potencial en el control de la propagación de enfermedades por Ae. aegypti, como la fiebre chikungunya, el dengue y la enfermedad por el virus de Zika.

The Stress-Induced Soybean NAC Transcription Factor GmNAC81 Plays a Positive Role in Developmentally Programmed Leaf Senescence.

The onset of leaf senescence is a highly regulated developmental change that is controlled by both genetics and the environment. Senescence is triggered by massive transcriptional reprogramming, but functional information about its underlying regulatory mechanisms is limited. In the current investigation, we performed a functional analysis of the soybean (Glycine max) osmotic stress- and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced NAC transcription factor GmNAC81 during natural leaf senescence using overexpression studies and reverse genetics. GmNAC81-overexpressing lines displayed accelerated flowering and leaf senescence but otherwise developed normally. The precocious leaf senescence of GmNAC81-overexpressing lines was associated with greater Chl loss, faster photosynthetic decay and higher expression of hydrolytic enzyme-encoding GmNAC81 target genes, including the vacuolar processing enzyme (VPE), an executioner of vacuole-triggered programmed cell death (PCD). Conversely, virus-induced gene silencing-mediated silencing of GmNAC81 delayed leaf senescence and was associated with reductions in Chl loss, lipid peroxidation and the expression of GmNAC81 direct targets. Promoter-reporter studies revealed that the expression pattern of GmNAC81 was associated with senescence in soybean leaves. Our data indicate that GmNAC81 is a positive regulator of age-dependent senescence and may integrate osmotic stress- and ER stress-induced PCD responses with natural leaf senescence through the GmNAC81/VPE regulatory circuit.

Dengue virus tetra-epitope peptide expressed in lettuce chloroplasts for potential use in dengue diagnosis.

Dengue virus causes about 100 million cases of dengue disease per year in the world. Laboratory diagnosis is done mainly by serological techniques, which in many cases use crude virus extracts that may cause cross-reactions to other flaviviruses. These undesirable cross-reactions can be reduced or eliminated by using recombinant proteins based on restricted epitopes. Aiming to decrease flaviviral cross-reactions and non-specific interactions in dengue serological assays, a plant expression system was chosen for recombinant antigen production as a reliable and inexpensive dengue diagnostic tool. In the present report, the lettuce plastid transformation system was applied to achieve efficient and stable tetra-epitope peptide antigen production, and its reactivity was evaluated. For this purpose, one putative epitope at positions 34 to 57 of E protein within the junction site of domains I and II of dengue virus (DENV) 1 to 4 serotypes linked by glycine linkers was expressed in lettuce chloroplasts. The potential immunoreactivity for the four DENV serotypes was evaluated using sera from patients of positive and negative dengue cases. Results indicated an overall sensitivity of 71.7% and specificity of 100%. No cross-reactions with the sera of yellow fever-positive or healthy individuals vaccinated against yellow fever were observed. This novel approach may provide an alternative system for the large-scale production of dengue recombinant antigens useful for serodiagnosis.

Molecular characterization and functional analysis of the ß-galactosidase gene during Coffea arabica (L.) fruit development.

ß-D-Galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) has been detected in several plant species, and is characterized in different organs and tissues by its ability to hydrolyse terminal non-reducing ß-D-galactosyl residues from ß-D-galactoside polymers. In the present paper the cloning and the biochemical and molecular characterization of Coffea arabica ß-galactosidase expressed in the pericarp and the endosperm of coffee fruits in all phases of ripeness are described. It was found that coffee ß-galactosidase is not evenly transcribed throughout fruit ripening, oscillating with two distinct peaks: the first peak when immature fruits are at the active growing stage and the second when fully developed coffee fruits are completely ripe. Both in vitro enzymatic activity of coffee fruit protein extracts and in vivo histochemical assay of freshly harvested coffee fruits confirmed the uneven transcription of ß-galactosidase as fruit maturation advanced. Partial genomic DNA sequencing indicated a complex arrangement of nine putative exons. In silico translation of the cloned coding sequences clearly revealed the cloned gene as ß-galactosidase, with the presence of a signal peptide directing the enzyme to the apoplast. Two isoforms were distinguished by sequencing reverse transcription-PCR transcripts, one expressed in young and adult leaves and another in stems, petals, and coffee fruit endosperm and pericarp. Southern blot analysis indicates that there are at least two copies of this gene in the C. arabica genome that could explain the presence of two ß-galactosidase isoforms.