Govt Exempts Genome-edited Plants from Biosafety Regulations : Daily Current Affairs

Relevance: GS-3: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.

Key Phrases: Department of Biotechnology, Department of Agriculture Research and Education, DNA, biosafety assessment, Genome Edited Plants, site directed nuclease (SDN) or sequence specific nuclease (SSN), CRISPR, Genetically modified organisms, foreign genes, cry1Ac and cry2Ab, traditional breeding.

Why in News?

The Centre has exempted plants under SDN1 and SDN2 categories from concerned biosafety regulations, potentially helping in faster development of new varieties

Context:

Notifying the rules for manufacture, use, import, export and storage of genetically-engineered “organism of cells”, the Ministry of Environment on Wednesday said plants under SDN1 and SDN2 categories are exempted from concerned biosafety regulations, potentially helping in faster development of new varieties. However, such genome-edited plants will have to follow other applicable laws/acts/rules.
In its order, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said that Department of Biotechnology and Department of Agriculture Research and Education had recommended that the “SDN1 and SDN2 Genome Edited Products free from exogenous introduced DNA be exempted from biosafety assessment.”
It is a recognition of the potential of genome editing technology in agriculture. The notification paves a path for Department of Biotechnology to approve and notify the guidelines on Genome Edited Plants, which was pending since early 2020.

Genome Editing

Genome editing (also called gene editing) is a group of technologies that give scientists the ability to change an organism's Deoxy-Ribonucleic Acid (DNA).
These technologies allow genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at particular locations in the genome.
A decade ago, scientists in Germany and the US discovered a technique which allowed them to ‘cut’ DNA strands and edit genes. For agriculture scientists this process allowed them to bring about desired changes in the genome by using site directed nuclease (SDN) or sequence specific nuclease (SSN). Nuclease is an enzyme which cleaves through nucleic acid — the building block of genetic material.
Advanced research has allowed scientists to develop the highly effective clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat (CRISPR) -associated proteins based systems. This system allows for targeted intervention at the genome sequence. This tool has opened up various possibilities in plant breeding. Using this tool, agricultural scientists can now edit genome to insert specific traits in the gene sequence. Depending on the nature of the edit that is carried out, the process is divided into three categories — SDN 1, SDN 2 and SDN 3.
SDN1 introduces changes in the host genome’s DNA through small insertions/deletions without introduction of foreign genetic material. In the case of SDN 2, the edit involves using a small DNA template to generate specific changes. Both these processes do not involve alien genetic material and the end result is indistinguishable from conventionally bred crop varieties.
SDN3 process involves larger DNA elements or full length genes of foreign origin which makes it similar to Genetically modified organisms (GMO) development.
The first two, which largely involve “knocking off” or “overexpressing” certain traits in a genome without any insertion of gene material from outside, will be covered by the new changes.
The third, which involves insertion of foreign genes, will be treated as GMO.

How is Gene Editing different from GMO development?

Genetically modified organisms (GMO) involves modification of the genetic material of the host by introduction of a foreign genetic material. In the case of agriculture, soil bacteria is the best mining source for such genes which are then inserted into the host genome using genetic engineering. For example, in case of cotton, introduction of genes cry1Ac and cry2Ab mined from the soil bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) allow the native cotton plant to generate endotoxins to fight pink bollworm naturally. BT Cotton uses this advantage to help farmers naturally fight pink bollworm which is the most common pest for cotton farmers.
The basic difference between genome editing and genetic engineering is that while the former does not involve the introduction of foreign genetic material, the latter does. In the case of agriculture, both the techniques aim to generate variants which are better yielding and more resistant to biotic and abiotic stress. Before the advent of genetic engineering, such variety improvement was done through selective breeding which involved carefully crossing plants with specific traits to produce the desired trait in the offspring. Genetic engineering has not only made this work more accurate but has also allowed scientists to have greater control on trait development.

What are the regulatory issues which have prevented wider adoption of this technique?

Across the world, GM crop has been a topic of debate, with many environmentalists opposing it on the grounds of bio safety and incomplete data. In India, the introduction of GM crops is a laborious process which involves multiple levels of checks. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), a high power committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is the regulator for introduction of any GM material and in case of agriculture multiple field trials, data about biosafety and other information is necessary for getting the nod before commercial release of any GM crop. Till date the only crop which has crossed the regulatory red tape is Bt cotton.
Scientists both in India and across the world have been quick to draw the line between GM crops and genome edited crops. The latter, they have pointed out, has no foreign genetic material in them which makes them indistinguishable from traditional hybrids. Globally, European Union countries have bracketed genome edited crops with GM crops. Countries like Argentina, Israel, US, Canada, etc have liberal regulations for genome edited crops.
Last year, a group of eminent agricultural scientists had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi voicing their concern about what they said was a move to put the issue of genome edited crops to the back burner. Back then, the central government had invited suggestions and objections from states and Union Territories about the issue and put on hold field trials of such crops. The signatories, many of whom were Padma awardees, had categorically said that the variants developed through SDN1 and SDN2 techniques do not have any alien DNA and as such can be treated as other hybrids.

Benefit of this Exemption:

The limited benefit of this policy decision is that genome edited SDN1/SDN2 category plants will be absolved from the cumbersome GMO regulatory system after evaluation of molecular data by IBSC/RCGM under EPA Rules 1989 and subsequently under the Seed Act, a unique dual regulatory system ensuring biosafety and benefits of technology for the welfare of small growers.
Experts said while genetically modified (GM) crops are objected to as genes of others are mixed in developing new varieties, in the case of genome-editing, it is just a process of correcting some bad elements and therefore does not find any opposition.
There are some varieties of crops like paddy and banana that have been developed using the genome-editing technology and once the guidelines are issued, it will pave the way for their commercial release.
It will not only help increase food production, but also ensure environmental sustainability. Crops can be developed with better water use efficiency.

Way Forward:

Over the past several decades, traditional breeding that depends on access to plant populations with sufficient variability has made great contributions to agriculture. However, this variability is mainly derived from spontaneous mutations or from mutations that are induced by chemical mutagens or physical irradiation.
Such mutations are usually rare and occur at random. Moreover, many types of variation might not arise in elite varieties, and consequently time-consuming, laborious breeding programs are needed to introduce desirable alleles into elite crops. By contrast, genome editing as an advanced molecular biology technique can produce precisely targeted modifications in any crop.

Source: The Hindu BL

Mains Question:

Q. What do you understand by Genome Editing System? What are the method of Genome Editing System and how it is different from Genetically modified organisms? Critically Analyse.