GENOME EDITING
An innovation team with clear goals
Genome editing only works in a team. Scientists explain what goals KWS is pursuing in Genome Editing and how they are working together to drive forward the new breeding methods.
Over the last editions of the insideKWS, we have been taking a deep dive in to GenEd: the science, the possible benefits for breeding and wider society, and the regulatory framework. In this edition, Luz Irina Calderón Villalobos, Lead of the Genome Editing Group and KWS Gateway Research Center Manager in St Louis (MO) USA, gives an insight in to the more than 20 KWS scientists working on GenEd and the wider KWS effort in this field.
What is on the agenda of the Genome Editing Group at KWS?
We pursue editing technologies on two main fronts. Firstly, we have implemented and continue to develop a routine GenEd service that offers KWS breeders the opportunity to validate and identify genes predicted to be responsible for a valuable trait. This is achieved through the introduction of an edit that disrupts the function of a gene, resulting in a traceable and measurable physiological effect in plants or their products. This service has been offered for a couple of years for corn varieties and will be launched in July 2021 for sugarbeet. Secondly, we are developing editing technologies beyond gene disruption, which enable gene insertion and gene replacement across all KWS crops.
Luz Irina Calderón Villalobos, Lead of the Genome Editing Group and KWS Gateway Research Center Manager in St Louis (MO) USA
What is the priority for KWS Genome Editing?
KWS mission and applied innovation are our compass. GenEd is one New Breeding Technology that allows us to edit the makeup of KWS crops. While looking for random changes in the DNA could take breeders decades, GenEd offers a solution so that changes can be achieved rapidly in a predictable way, enabling plant breeding that is more effective and efficient. Ultimately, the work of our internationally distributed GenEd team aims at developing state-of-the-art technologies for advancing KWS strategic goals and mission, that is providing the world with distinct, sustainable, and innovative seed solutions.
Is there an editing technology that the GenEd group is eager to establish in the future?
In the upcoming years, we strive to develop an "XL" (extra-large), and "XXL" (extra-extra-large) editing approaches for specific introduction of quantitative trait locus (QTL) in elite varieties. QTLs are large regions of DNA associated with a particular phenotypic trait and are identified by breeders through traditional breeding approaches. QTLs might consist of two or more genes and can be attributed to polygenic effects. Therefore, GenEd could have the tremendous power of allowing us to untangle certain complex traits such as pathogen resistance or abiotic stress tolerance. GenEd will also serve to identify the action, interaction, number, and precise location of these regions, and more importantly introduce these in varieties of commercial interest in “one go”, making breeding faster than using conventional methods.
INFO
GENOME EDITING: EU REGULATION UPDATE
In April, the European Commission published its much-anticipated study assessing the current conditions for the use of new breeding methods. The study made clear that the current regulation is not-fit-for-purpose. This is a positive first step which will hopefully lead to a change of the 20-year-old legislation. Currently the regulation sees plants developed with the aid of new mutagenesis techniques, like Genome Editing, are genetically modified organisms (GMO) - despite containing no foreign DNA and being identical to those that could be bred using conventional breeding methods.
KWS is now actively working with a broad range of stakeholders to develop solutions to some of the questions that remain around IP access and patents, customer and consumer transparency and freedom of choice, and how these products could be regulated in future. We also have a role in informing the public on these new tools and play our part in gaining market acceptance.
In the coming months, the Commission will initiate an impact assessment, including a public consultation, which will explore policy options to hopefully allow a contribution of new breeding methods for the achievement of the agricultural policy goals in the EU. KWS welcomes this open public and political debate and will certainly contribute.
These gears mesh
Experts
Behailu Aklilu
Scientist
KWS GRC, St. Louis USA:
“GenEd involves cutting (breaking), sewing and patching (repairing) the DNA material of any organism. While nucleases (molecular scissors) do the cutting in a targeted way, the “sewing system” uses the cell’s own internal repair toolkits to stitch the cutting together. While direct joining of broken DNA ends may result in small losses of DNA pieces, resulting in a switching-off of genes, the repair mechanism can also use externally provided DNA as a patching template (insertion). My research focuses on harnessing and using a plant’s own sets of DNA repair mechanisms, increasing the probability of successful editing". |
Natalja Beying
Scientist
KWS Einbeck, Germany
"I am excited to have recently joined KWS to support our activities in sugarbeet, and to contribute my experience in GenEd. My previous studies enabled restructuring plant chromosomes, which has the potential to transform plant breeding. Since analyzing plants for desired edits is a crucial step, I am working on establishing and improving GenEd detection methods. Through close interaction with our Molecular Services teams and with Data Management for downstream analysis, we hope to enable fast and easy screening of any desired edit originating from different GenEd methods." |
Gengxiang Jia
Scientist
KWS GRC, St. Louis USA:
“The discovery and development of the CRISPR/Cas system has revolutionized the GenEd field because of its flexibility, efficiency and relatively low cost. Through precise additions, deletions, or exchanges of genetic elements at specific genomic site(s), we can get access to specific trait(s) by tweaking one or multiple targets, even whole metabolic pathways at a time. My work involves the development of molecular components that enable editing of multiple genes in "one go", as well as optimizing detection systems for fast identification of edited plants.”
Mei Yu
Scientist
KWS GRC, St. Louis, USA
“CRISPR/Cas associated protein for GenEd has two major parts: The nuclease functions as molecular scissors to cut strands of DNA, and the guide RNA tells the nuclease where to cut. At KWS, I optimize Cpf1 and MAD7, two of the CRISPR/Cas nucleases we commonly use in GenEd. Our team constantly works on improvements to increase cutting efficiency, expand target accessibility, and enhance specificity. I am currently leading a project that seeks to establish a routine GenEd service in corn, which will offer breeders delivery of gene replacements and insertions in the desired genetic background in under a year. We predict that this has tremendous potential to improve and speed up our breeding activities”. |
Theodore Moll
Research Associate
KWS GRC, St. Louis, USA
“Cell technologies are essential for production, maintenance, and delivery of GenEd components into plant cells. Tissue culture provides the means to bring together the GenEd tools with the crops to be edited into various plant tissues. Careful consideration of different nutrients, growth conditions, and isolation techniques are required for the variety of crops. After GenEd takes place, tissue culture methods allow scientists to grow these tissues into fully mature plants so they can be analyzed and tested for editing. I am working on implementing cell technologies for editing wheat and rye”. |
Juan Li
Research Associate
KWS GRC, St. Louis, USA
“Plant tissue culture is the battle horse in GenEd. It is a set of techniques for culturing cells, tissues, or organs in a controlled sterile environment with a defined chemical composition. Tissue culture, when combined with GenEd techniques, becomes a powerful tool for the generation of cell lines resistant to biotic and abiotic stress, getting improved plants of agronomic interest, or studying the complex plant genome. I am a cell culture specialist and I contribute to continuous innovation of cell technologies that allow editing in various KWS crops”. |
Aurélie Jouanin
Scientist
KWS Einbeck, Germany
"I am a plant biotechnologist fascinated by the power of GenEd. I am currently coordinating a GenEd project in Einbeck in sugarbeet that seeks to establish a pipeline that allows our breeder activities. To ensure the development and use of the best GenEd methods while complying with contractual laws, I work closely with our Legal and IP colleagues".
Mathias Labs
Scientist
KWS GRC, St. Louis, USA
"Even as the path for product development is elusive, GenEd is a great asset to modern breeding. Our goal is to make the technology available for all KWS crops. I am leading a project focused on expanding our editing technologies beyond corn and sugarbeet. While our efforts have primarily focused on cereals, we seek to introduce showcases for GenEd in dicots such as oilseed rape, sunflower and - in the future- vegetables. I also enable the interface between our scientific GenEd group with Innovation/Licensing/Scouting/Technology (ILST) and with Legal & IP (LIP) teams to maintain alignment between ILST/LIP and internal GenEd technology activities”.
Enablers
Anja Matzk
Head of Regulatory Affairs
“KWS is convinced that GenEd is a promising tool for the future of sustainable agriculture. To be able to exploit the advantages of this innovative tool, we are advocating for a practicable and, if possible, more globally harmonized regulatory framework.” |
Klaus Schmidt
Group Lead Plant Cell & Transformation Technologies
“We are developing and applying plant regeneration technologies to make GenEd possible in the different KWS crops, especially in sugarbeet. Combining the right regeneration system with the right delivery method for the GenEd components is the key question to be answered.” |
Markus Niessen
Group Lead Molecular Technologies
“In our team we are both customers of and service provider for GenEd. We use GenEd in many of our research projects to develop technologies to optimize breeding processes, gene validation and characterization, and potentially product development. As service provider, we support GenEd by cloning for later transformation and develop together molecular analysis for characterization of edited plants. Working hand in hand is key for efficient technology development.” |
Ling Men
Research Fellow in Cell Tech Accelerator
“We have developed a KWS-owned regeneration boosting toolbox of 10 regeneration boost proteins (RBPs) and two rapid single-cell origin regeneration systems using immature embryo and immature tassel for transgene-free and genotype-independent GenEd in maize. These technologies are essential for GenEd and enable rollout of the SDN-1 pipeline and further development of SDN2/3 in maize.” |
Users
Daniela Scheuermann
Group Lead – Genomics Maize and Oilseed Crops
“For functional validation of candidate genes within the gene discovery pipeline biotic in corn, we run and schedule SDN1 directly in the resistant donor line which gives us a significant time advantage to all other methods.” |
Dietmar Stahl
Project Lead Fungal Resistance
“I am using GenEd for the analysis of genes involved in fungal resistance of corn and wheat. With the help of this technology, we could generate mutants for these genes at a pace and accuracy we have not experienced with any other technique before.” |
Aurélie Bak
Research Lead Insect Resistance
“Targeting plant genes through GenEd techniques is an easy and effective approach to investigate and develop insect resistance traits.” |
Frank Ludewig
Scientist Plant Physiology
“GenEd will certainly help both complex trait pipelines (maize and sugarbeet) to verify candidate genes by knocking out these candidates (SDN-1) and studying the impact on trait components and ultimately on the traits ‘yield’ and ‘yield stability under drought’. And, there is more to come with SDN-2/3.” |
Corinna Streitner
Scientist Molecular Technologies
"Modulation of Gene Expression: GenEd helps to apply our technology for activation or repression of trait genes." |
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