Farmers Association in PA Uses Genetics to Prevent CWD in Deer

 

New observations made by the PA Deer Farmers Association may have made a breakthrough as they use genetics to find a way to combat CWD, or chronic wasting disease, in different species of deer. Chronic Wasting Disease, also known as zombie deer disease that only affects species of deer and elk. It is a neurological disease that is contagious and fatal and causes a decline in many deer populations. While there is not one direct cause specifically linked to CWD, researchers believe that the disease is caused by an abnormal prion. The prion, a cellular protein that affects the central nervous system, infects the deer. The disease causes abnormal behavior such as isolation from their population, blank expressions, and excessive drooling occur, and eventually this leads to death. Minimizing this disease allows deer populations to thrive as well as minimizes contact to humans.

In Pennsylvania, CWD has been a big problem for its deer population for about 10 years, and while it has been in the Midwest for decades, it has become detrimental, and may farmers and agriculturalists want to combat this problem. Researchers have taken initiative to look at the deer who test positive for CWD and investigate how they can combat this problem. Specifically, Texas A&M has worked on using genetics as a way to help deer with CWD. They have found that a genetic component has a role in passing down the disease.

Because a link has been found where deer can pass this disease down to their offspring, the PA Farmer's Association has worked to combat this issue. They have been able to look at herds where their deer have tested positive and test them to see what their genes reveal about their susceptibility to CWD. Using biopsies of the live deer, they are able to separate the deer with high susceptibility genes and breed the ones with lower risk in order to get rid of the CWD completely. 

This is a great idea because deer and other related species are very common, especially in New Jersey. While there is not a lot of research related to CWD passing onto to humans, there are related diseases that mimic the same symptoms, and CWD can pass on to other species like birds. Deer are important for so many reasons, so it is important to take this seriously and use selective breeding and genetics to help get rid of the disease.

Related Articles:

A Similar Disease to Deer, but in Humans: Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Samples of CWD in Tests from 2021

Potential for Gene Editing to Support Sustainable Agriculture

This article from GEN talks about how gene editing can be used to support sustainable energy. Gene editing through the use of CRISPER has the potential to climate proof our food, reduce inputs, and improve nutrition and flavor. Due to rising temperatures, crops have been facing an increase in biotic and abiotic pressures such as drought and disease. Many organizations are trying to find ways to make crops more resilient to these pressures. Gene editing can be used to create crops that are resilient to these changes. Gene editing can also be used to improve animal welfare. In the poultry and dairy industry, male chickens and male calves have little value and are usually sold or killed to reduce costs. Thanks to gene editing, it could be possible to put an end to the disposal of unwanted animals. For example, one gene editing company can identify male eggs before incubation meaning that their would be no need to euthanize male chicks. Gene editing can also be used to reduce the need of resources for the crop such as water. 

When Crisper was first revealed in 2012, many people believe it would be a big part of the agriculture industry but that has not quite happen yet. There are two reasons for this: investing new technologies in this sector is difficult because the seasonality of agriculture leads to long timelines to commercialization and major players in the agriculture industry consolidate gene editing companies stifling competition. This lack of competition has led to low incentives for these companies to invest and develop new technology that can help improve crop production. However, thanks to increasing distrust of these companies and consumers being more aware of environmental issues, an chance exists to use gene editing technologies to improve crop production while also aligning with social issues. Though care should be taken so that commercialization proceeds in a way that promotes competition. 

https://www.genengnews.com/topics/bioprocessing/avant-and-bti-to-focus-on-scalable-production-of-cultivated-fish-cells/

Gut microbes of chickens independent from genetics in regulation of fat deposits.

A recent study of the gut microbes of yellow broiler chickens has yielded unique results regarding their fat regulation and body distribution. As found in the data of Chaoliang Wen, Wei Yan, Congjiao Sun, and their colleagues, the heritable genetics of the birds had little correlation to the fat deposits in the chickens, and rather the microbial health of the birds (from feces, found in the duodenum and jejunum, as well as other locations) was correlated with the health of the animal in question. This is a departure from previous ideas that fat and health in animals is more majorly dependent on genetics and heritage, rather than gut health.

This is in direct contrast with an earlier claim by Sylwester Świątkiewicz, who regarded the genetic breeding program to have direct influence on the health and fat deposits on chickens.

I am not well versed in genetics, but I am interested in both zoology and farming. I was a farmhand for a short time for a family friend's farm. In terms of the gut health having influence on body mass and fat, it's fairly straight forward. However, I don't believe either argument (made by Wen et al, or by Świątkiewicz ) are completely cut and dry. There is much still mysterious to us about the minor influences that habits, diet, gut biotics, and other things have on animal metabolisms.

I personally would be very interested in a more layman's terms translation of that data, showing the correlation much more graphically digestible. It was with no small amount of trail and error that I had to go through to even comprehend this concept, as well as some minor confusion as to what parts of the bird's anatomy was being referred to.

A New Tomato Ideal For Urban Gardens and Even Outer Space

 

 

Scientists have discovered a new form of planting crops. The Urban Agriculture Tomato prove to be efficient and beneficial to our environment. The gene-editing of the tomato has allowed it to bunch up closer together rather than in vine like fashion. The whole point of this new idea was to be able to grow plants in Urban areas that would likely not be able to produce the plants. This way more plants can be grown almost anywhere. They are even talking about growing them in space! This new advancement has made it possible for the tomatoes as well as other plants to be produced faster, easier, more efficiently and taste better. More people will be able to be fed as well. This also allows us to save land as well as decrease the amount of fertilizer used to aid crops from entering the soil and rivers. This ultimately proves to be beneficial to everyone and everything! The gene responsible for it all is SIER. This gene was modified with the CRISPR gene which led to the amazing, tasty tomatoes. 

https://www.agritechtomorrow.com/story/2019/12/a-new-tomato-ideal-for-urban-gardens-and-even-outer-space/11907/

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgeed.2020.00005/full

Scientists crack genome of super seaweed, ito-mozuku

In an article from Science Daily, researchers point out that the Japanese brown seaweed, ito-mozuku can provide health benefits based on its genome. The study revealed the first draft genome of ito-mozuku and another local species of edible seaweed called Oki-nawa mozuku. Scientists from Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology found that both of the seaweed species could be useful for farming as they contain high concentration of fucoidan, a substance that can prevent the formation of cancerous tumors and blood clots. The research studied the genes of the two mozuku seaweed species and found out that they both have a fused gene that leads their rich production of fucoidan. The two genes code for two separate enzymes for producing proteins that advance chemical reactions and helps to produce fucoidan. After the fusion of the genes, they can be expressed and can make a single enzyme that can carry out the two functions efficiently.

The research plans to extend their study for an additional pair of fused genes in ito-mozuku that is not found in Oki-nawa mozuku. The team hypothesize that the expressed gene can increase the number of sulfate groups being transferred to fucoidan that has health benefits. If this study gets approved, I think it could help farmers harvest crops that would be beneficial for both animals and safer for the environment.

European Union's fear of gene-edited crops spells trouble for African Farmers

Even though many people were expecting the European Union to ease restrictions on gene edited crops, on July 25th 2018 it was decided gene-edited crops would experience the same regulation as GMO's. This came as a great shock to many European and African scientists. In the United States, the FDA has ruled that gene-edited crops do not present a threat. In fact they are identical to plants developed through traditional cross breeding techniques, just executed faster.

Nigel Taylor has been using CRISPR to create plant breeds resistant to disease in Kenya and Uganda. Many farmers were anticipating using this technology to grow more efficient crops and then export them to Europe. Unfortunately, African farmers are now forced to face the fact that they may have lost an entire continent of consumers they depended on. "The EU is Africa's single largest trading partner, receiving nearly $16 billion in agriculture and food imports in 2017..."

While gene editing techniques are faster, easier and safer than traditional GMO's, African farmers must revert to inefficient farming practices if they hope to sell their products to the E.U.

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Overcoming Livestock Disease Through Gene Editing

The livestock industry may be on the brink of an effective tool to fight against disease thanks to geneticists at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh. Professor Eleanor Riley and her team have recently identified the gene in pigs that allows viruses to enter the cell. By removing this gene from a pig's DNA resulted in these animals to become resistant to common diseases like Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) which affects the livestock industry roughly $170 million every year. This same approach has also been used at the Roslin Institute to identify the gene that provides resistance against avian flu in chickens. With the final trail yet to be published, the livestock industry is anxious to see the results. According to Eleanor Riley, it would only take three to five years to produce these disease resistant animals into the livestock community. This could potential save farmers millions in biosecurity, animal deaths and possibly increase the food production in the world. With the population of humans already over 7.0 billion there are more mouths to feed than ever before. By increasing livestock resistance to fatal diseases, this could potentially be a significant result for much more than just the farming community.

Article: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/17/scientists-on-brink-of-overcoming-livestock-diseases-through-gene-editing
Additional Information: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/15/british-supermarket-chickens-show-record-levels-of-antibiotic-resistant-superbugs

Human Antibiotics In Animals the Cause of Drug Resistance ?

Farm animals are becoming a public health concern as the diseases they carry are becoming more and more resistant due to the human antibiotic that are used to make the animals grow faster while being feed less food. Drug resistance spreads can be spread in other ways besides from animals to humans such as from person to person, when antibiotics are not taken as prescribed, incorrect dosage and duration. At first the antibiotics work on the farm animals, but then they become gene resistant and is passed down to larger groups of animals. This is due to the fact that segments of DNA can jump and change between different species and strains of the microorganisms. The used of antibiotics on farms is causing an issue with medicines ability to combat bacterial viruses. However, the farm industry does not believe that this rising issues should be of any concern because it is not as extreme as researchers are claiming it to be. Some farm companies are even keeping researchers away in order to keep them from finding more evidence that the farm industry is making it more difficult to treat bacterial diseases by making claims that allowing outsiders around the animals can cause the spread of disease.

The connection between human consumption of animals that are raised with antibiotics leading to resistance to drugs is a question that has been explored by researchers in 1975 from Tuft University. In order to test the connection the researchers took 150 chickens and gave them tetracycline and observed them over the course of four months. By the end of the four months the chickens that had bacteria within them that were 36% more tetracycline- resistant. In other cases it is seen that animals that are not even raised with antibiotics are carries of bacteria that is more resistant to antibiotics due to the spread of gene resistance.

A solution has been put in place by companies such as Tyson that is now avoiding the uses of human antibiotics while other company are raising livestock with vegetarian free antibiotics diet. Since there is not much research done on this topic due to the feud between researchers and meat companies it will be difficult to stop the detrimental transformation that this issue is causing for public health. However, regardless of whether or not there is a correlation between the use of human antibiotics and drug resistance a better alternative should be made to raise animals such as a healthier diet so that antibiotics are not heavily relied on. 

Farming and its Effect on Dogs

Dogs were domesticated around 15,000 years ago, and as companions to hunter-gatherers ate a lot of meat and extra food not eaten by the humans that they traveled with. As farming emerged in human culture, the genome of the dog began to be transformed. More starch-filled foods were integrated into the human diet, prompting a demand for adaptations in both humans and dogs in the digestion of foods containing starchy grains like wheat and millet. 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/163677767684446630/

Eric Axelsson, an evolutionary geneticist, and his colleagues discovered that domesticated dogs have four to thirty copies of the Amy2B gene, a gene that helps digest starch. Wolves and wild dogs only have two of the Amy2B gene, suggesting that the change in the dogs genome had to do with starch consumption. To further study this discovery, scientists such as Morgane Ollivier and Ecole Normale Supeieure de Lyon collaborated with Axelsson to study DNA extracted from the bones of dogs and wolves from 7000 and 5000 year old archaeological sites. They discovered that these domestic dogs also had many of the Amy2B gene; they had eight compared to the much lower number of the Amy2B found in non-domesticated dogs and wild wolves. This indicated that the increase in the Amy2B gene was not just due to modern dog-breeding, but to the effects of farming. More recent research conducted this year also supports this research. This adaptation has allowed dogs to continue to be a big part of human life.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/11/how-farming-changed-dog

How farming changed the dog

It is known that dogs were domesticated approximately 15,000 years ago, and they have been a companion to us, humans, throughout this time. 

A recent study suggested that farming has changed the genome of dogs over time. This change happened during the same time it took place in humans, since dogs were eating so much wheat and millet while with their owners on the farm. The change happens in the Amy2B gene, which is a gene that helps digest starch. Ancient wolves were studied and they found that originally there were only 2 copies of the Amy2B gene in their genome. Dogs now have from four to 30 copies of this gene in their genome. Scientists believe dogs have been able to stay by our sides all of these years because of this transformation in their genome. One of the researchers in this study stated, "Farming led to a five-fold increase in the number of starch-digesting genes in these dogs." 

http://www.sci-news.com/genetics/science-genomes-dog-domestication-01697.html

Changes in Genetically Modified Agriculture

Up until 1996, farmers were steadily increasing their production of genetically modified crops.  However, genetically modified crops have been a highly controversial part of the agricultural industry.  For the first time, in 2015, the amount of land used for genetically modified crops has declined.  Farmers reported low prices on the genetically modified crops, and in turn planted less corn, soybeans, and canola.  These three crops, along with cotton, account for the majority of genetically modified agriculture.  Consumers and environmental groups, however, have taken a strong stand against genetically modified crops.  This has hurt the biotechnology industry that takes care of genetically modified crops.  In 2015, genetically modified seeds were planted across 444 million acres - a 1% decrease from the 448.5 million acres in 2014.  While the decrease is small, it could be the start of a movement for organic crops.  

Genetically modified plants offer a variety or pros and cons.  They are cheaper to produce, and more genetically modified crops can be harvested at a single time.  One type of genetic modification, known as selective breeding, has been employed for ages.  Humans actively selected favorable traits in organisms and bred them together for more "perfect" organisms.  However, gene transfer is a more controversial method.  It involves the cutting of the plant's gene and the insertion of another gene into the plant's genomic sequence.  The modification has caused individuals to have allergic reactions, and it is thought that some of the proteins could be toxic.  

I think moving away from genetically modified foods comes with benefits and downfalls.  Quality organic foods are more expensive, and it would be difficult to move over to organic altogether.  There would be less accessibility to quality food, which would hurt the entire population.  However, without genetic modification, food may actually be safer.  Either way, the 1% decrease in genetically modified acreage is not devastating to the biotechnology industry.  Genetically modified foods look to be here to stay for quite some time.  

Pineapple genome offers insight into drought-tolerant plants

 

The production of pineapples began in 

southwest Brazil and northeast Paraguay. Pineapples have been cultivated by humans for more than six-thousand years and are now produced in more than eighty-five countries. In a recent study, scientists are homing in on the genes and the genetic pathways which allow the pineapple plant to prosper in environments that are water-limited by sequencing the juicy plant’s genome. Similar to many plants, the ancestors of pineapple and grasses experienced several doublings of their genomes. Although, the analysis shows that unlike the grasses that share an ancestor with pineapple, the pineapple genome has one-less whole genome duplication. This information indicated that pineapple plant is the best comparison group for the study of cereal crop genomes. Overall, the findings provided evidence of two-whole genome duplications in the pineapple plant’s history and a new opening on the evolutionary history of grasses. 

A majority of crop plants make use of a type of photosynthesis called C3. The juicy pineapple plant uses a special type of photosynthesis, called crassulacean acid metabolism, also known as CAM. CAM has evolved in more than ten-thousand plant species independently and the pineapple plant is valued the most economically out of all ten-thousand. Biology professor Ray Ming states “CAM plants use only 20 percent of the water used by typical C3 crop plants, and CAM plants can grow in dry, marginal lands that are unsuited for most crop plants.” By looking more closely at the pineapple genome, it was revealed that some genes which contribute to CAM photosynthesis are actually regulated by the plants circadian clock genes. Circadian clock genes allow plants to distinguish between day and night and alter their metabolism as a result. 

This study allowed scientists to find a link among regulatory elements of CAM photosynthesis genes and the circadian clock regulation for the first time. “CAM photosynthesis allows plants to close the pores in their leaves during the day and open them at night,” states Professor Ming, illustrating how that contributes to the pineapple plant’s resilience in hot climates and that the plant loses very little moisture through its leaves during the course of the day. CAM plants greatly reduce water loss by keeping their stomata closed during the day.

The team involved in this study wrote “All plants contain the necessary genes for CAM photosynthesis and the evolution of CAM simply required rerouting of pre-existing pathways.” The team is responsible for the discovering in which CAM photosynthesis evolved by reconfiguring molecular pathways involved in C3 and CAM photosynthesis. 

Having many farmers within the family and understanding how devastating a drought can be for the crops and overall production for that year, this article was attention-grabbing. The scientists now look to use their understanding of the evolution of the different types of photosynthesis in effort to develop drought-tolerant crops. “Higher water-use efficiency is a highly desirable trait, given the need to double food production by 2050 in the context of a changing climate,” stated Ray Ming. Furthermore, the adaptation of food crops to be more tolerant of a drought will also help humans become accustomed to climate change. 

Original Article