Cryptic mutation is cautionary tale for Crop Gene Editing

This article makes me ponder about what could potentially go wrong with the GMO's and how it could effect us consumers, considering their making fish in a lab now? Just being skeptical.

Recently there's been some unexpected interactions between mutations when breeding GMO crops, and sientists have unveiled what drove one infamous 'cryptic' mutation.

This story starts with the Campbell Soup Company and a field of tomatoes in the mid 20th century. One particular tomato plant had an unexpected beneficial trait: the fruits separated from the vine right where the green cap and stem touch the rest of the fruit. It turned out that this spontaneous natural mutant was ideal for large-scale production.

Other tomato varieties would break away at a joint-like nub in their fruit stems, leaving the pointed green caps on the fruits. With stems still present, these capped tomatoes would get easily bruised in the machine-picking process or end up puncturing one another in transit. However, the lucky Campbell Soup mutant didn't have these problems. It was jointless, and perfect for a growing, automated industry.

Unsurprisingly, the breeders call the gene mutation, jointless-2.

During the 1960s, tomato breeders worked furiously to introduce j2 into many varieties. However, it quickly became apparent that j2's benefit of safe and easy harvesting came at a big price. In nearly all occurrences, jointless tomato plants would branch and flower in an out-of-control manner, causing an imbalance in growth that led to reduced fruit production and yield.

Without the nubby joints that are normally present on the stems of tomato plants, the fruit is much easier to harvest. However, researchers have discovered how a cryptic mutation can get in the way of this otherwise desirable trait.
Credit: Lippman lab/CSHL[

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The researchers revealed that an ancient gene mutation -- an artifact of crop domestication of over 4000 years old -- had an unexpected interaction with j2. The result was an example of what scientists call "cryptic genetic variation."

"On its own, the single mutation has no obvious effect on the health or the fitness or the vigor of the plant," says Lippman. "But when another mutation happens along with it and there is a negative interaction, that's the cryptic mutation revealing itself."

Today, sequencing technologies allow us to see these mutations. Moreover, with the aid of gene editing tools like CRISPR, we can fine-tune the mutations underlying the negative interactions so that they no longer hinder agricultural production.

Here's the link to the Article:
www.sciencedaily.com...

The article continues, with more on certain processess and the history of the discovery of j2, and into detail about how it affects the plant and how some farmers overcame the negative variation.

Hope some of you learned something, I know I have.

a reply to: LtFluffyCakes96

Seems that the article is saying that genetic modification may help prevent accidents introduced by clumsy old traditional hybridization?

Gene modification is pretty amazing, but playing God might not always turn out like we hoped. This is a very interesting link to Campbell’s. Think about what has happened and hidden with human gene modification. Thanks for posting.

a reply to: LtFluffyCakes96

When I was doing research on the great lakes 2000 project, to clean them up, one of the suggestions was in-situ remediation using specialized enzymes and bacteria. Harmless, or so they said, but they never modelled in consideration of a uva or uvb spontaneous mutation. That mutation would have killed everything in the great lakes and local water tables, fortunately, more responsible minds prevailed. However, in the drive for profits, both nature and consumers are thrown under the bus. It will be our undoing, if the crazy liberals don't get us first lol.

Cheers - Dave

a reply to: Phage

This is true. As to my gallivanting brain, it brings the thought of what infinite8 suggested.

a reply to: LtFluffyCakes96

Two edged blades will forever be a factor as long as there are people.

Of course, we know that guns don't kill people.

a reply to: LtFluffyCakes96

You had me at "cryptic mutation".

I have always suspected tomatoes cannot be trusted.