GMOs or non-GMOs? The CRISPR Conundrum

Frontiers in Plant Science

Plant Science

Aftab Ahmad¹  Amer Jamil²  Nayla Munawar³ 

[1] Center for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security (CASAFS), University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan;Department of Biochemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan;Department of Biochemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan;Department of Chemistry, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates;

关键词: CRISPR-Cas;    gene editing;    GMOs;    GM regulations;    transgenic plants;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpls.2023.1232938

 received in 2023-06-01, accepted in 2023-09-15,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

CRISPR-Cas9, the “genetic scissors”, is being presaged as a revolutionary technology, having tremendous potential to create designer crops by introducing precise and targeted modifications in the genome to achieve global food security in the face of climate change and increasing population. Traditional genetic engineering relies on random and unpredictable insertion of isolated genes or foreign DNA elements into the plant genome. However, CRISPR-Cas based gene editing does not necessarily involve inserting a foreign DNA element into the plant genome from different species but introducing new traits by precisely altering the existing genes. CRISPR edited crops are touching markets, however, the world community is divided over whether these crops should be considered genetically modified (GM) or non-GM. Classification of CRISPR edited crops, especially transgene free crops as traditional GM crops, will significantly affect their future and public acceptance in some regions. Therefore, the future of the CRISPR edited crops is depending upon their regulation as GM or non-GMs, and their public perception. Here we briefly discuss how CRISPR edited crops are different from traditional genetically modified crops. In addition, we discuss different CRISPR reagents and their delivery tools to produce transgene-free CRISPR edited crops. Moreover, we also summarize the regulatory classification of CRISPR modifications and how different countries are regulating CRISPR edited crops. We summarize that the controversy of CRISPR-edited plants as GM or non-GM will continue until a universal, transparent, and scalable regulatory framework for CRISPR-edited plants will be introduced worldwide, with increased public awareness by involving all stakeholders.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Ahmad, Jamil and Munawar