Scientists delve into how best to improve characteristics

By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press

As researchers unravel the information in plant genes -- and learn how to manipulate that data with greater precision -- the potential applications for agriculture seem limitless, according to experts.

"We are like kids in a candy store, from the scientific standpoint," said Peter Beetham, senior vice president of the Cibus crop trait company.

Expanding knowledge about crop genetics has allowed companies to refine traditional breeding processes and combine them with biotechnology, accelerating the development of new traits.

About 70 genetically engineered crops have been approved for cultivation in the U.S., though not all of them have been brought to market, according to the Biotechnology Industry Organization.

By 2015, 67 more biotech products are expected to be commercialized, Sharon Bomer, executive vice president of food and agriculture for the group, said.

"Obviously, there has been a heavy investment in research and development," said Bomer, noting that producing a new biotech crop costs about $100 million to $150 million.

Not all of the advances are in the field of transgenics, in which genes are transferred from one organism to another to generate novel traits.

Cibus, for example, can make a specific change in a crop's gene sequence, which Beetham likened to a "spelling correction," without inserting foreign genetic information.

The company's "rapid trait development system" technology relies on synthetic molecules, called oligonucleotides, which bond with the plant's DNA and result in a mismatch of genetic sequences.

When the genetic sequences are repaired by enzymes in the cell, the synthetic molecule, which is an imprint of the desired traits, is used as a template for the final configuration. The molecule itself is discarded, but its genetic imprint remains intact.

"What we do can be found in nature. Mutations occur naturally," Beetham said. "What we're doing is harnessing that DNA repair activity."

The process doesn't fall under the regulatory purview of the federal government, a common hindrance to the introduction of transgenic traits. Cibus hopes the lack of bureaucratic hurdles will give the company a competitive advantage in the market.

Dow Agrosciences is using a comparable method, called "Exzact Precision Technology," to add, subtract and alter information within genetic sequences.

The process makes "stacking" of traits and other alterations more efficient by reducing the randomness of gene insertion -- just as strategically adding or subtracting words within a book can convey a different overall meaning.

"It can take some of the uncertainty about making transgenic traits out of the equation," said Vipula Shukla, senior researcher at the company.

The technology relies on "zinc finger proteins" that have been designed to bind to very specific portions of the plant genome.

Researchers can then change that portion of the sequence, either with transgenic data or genes native to the plant.

"This is an enabling technology," Shukla said.

The ability to find relevant genes within the crop is key to new technologies, but such "molecular breeding" can also aid more traditional methods.

Conventional breeders are still key in developing new traits, said Mike Gilbert, vice president of plant breeding and development at Bayer CropScience.

However, genetic markers allow them to speed the process, he said.

"Molecular breeding is extremely important to us," said Gilbert. "It's a way to identify and see what each gene does. That works hand-in-hand with the breeders."

In the past, breeders often had to wait a full crop cycle to see if crosses had sought-after attributes, said Andy LaVigne, president and CEO of the American Seed Trade Association.

"Now, you can test it as soon as you have the seeds from the parents," LaVigne said.

Because they're less reliant on external observations in their screening and trials, researchers can more quickly see if their efforts are meeting with success.

With genetic markers, they can immediately recognize if offspring possess the desirable traits.

By using genetic markers in combination with regular breeding, companies can bypass bureaucratic obstacles that stand in the way of transgenics.

However, that's not the main benefit of the technology, Gilbert said. "The primary reason is to take advantage of the diversity within the species."