A human gene was implanted in plants and the combination proved successful
By: Szilard Szabo
Tags: Fto, Protein, Genetics, Plants, Genetic Engineering

A human gene was implanted in plants and the combination proved successful Szilard Szabo Aug 23·3 min read

Researchers experimented with the unusual method, but instead of the expected catastrophic effect, they succeeded in doubling the yield implanting human FTO protein responsible for obesity into plants.

A study published in Nature Biotechnology in July reports an unusual experiment: Chinese and American researchers who have been studying the effects of the human FTO gene and the protein it encodes. For years they have tested what happens when the gene is planted in plants, and the results show that the combination has been successful. The role of FTO (fat mass and obesity-associated protein, also known as alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase enzyme) in obesity was only recently demonstrated in 2007. This protein is not the direct cause of obesity, it is only related to the process. The protein encoded by the FTO gene affects RNA function and plays a kind of regulatory role in the growth of living things by removing chemical markers from RNAs that read DNA information.

Zhuang Ho, a professor at the University of Chicago, and Kiufang Jia, a researcher at Peking University, wanted to know if the protein had such a special effect on the human and animal body, and the same would apply to plants that do not otherwise have FTO. with. However, there was a chance that the plants, because they did not recognize the protein, would react negatively to the foreign substance and become ill or die.

The result, in turn, refuted the ideas and brought surprising success: the plants, instead of being damaged, yielded twice as much fruit as before. The researchers said this was possible precisely because their bodies did not recognize the protein and therefore could not keep it under the usual strict control, so the FTO was free to exert its effects.

The outcome of the study was unexpected for the participants as well, further observations are needed to find out exactly how the reaction takes place at the molecular level, but one thing is for sure: each crop type tested for this type of modification yielded much more than their normal versions. The rice, which was tested under laboratory conditions, yielded three times the yield, and the plants grown in the open also doubled in weight and yield. Potatoes also became more robust and similar changes were observed for all other varieties.

According to the researchers, in the future, the modification may contribute to the development of very beneficial properties, as not only increased yield but also root length, treated subjects were more photosynthesized, and more tolerant of water scarcity stress. All this is a feature that may be much needed in regions with less ideal climates, especially the fact that more and more people have to support agricultural areas due to population growth, and the expected extreme weather events and more frequent droughts can have a detrimental effect on planted crops. However, interfering with the functioning of a living organism, especially if carried out in such an unusual way, can also cause problems, so it is necessary to repeat the experiments after the promising beginnings.

The researchers believe the FTO achieves the effect by controlling the m6A process, as deleting m6A suppresses signals that would warn the plant to slow growth. This, according to Ho, is fundamentally different from genetic modification methods or CRISPR technology, in this case, in the early developmental stage of the plant, they simply ‘switch a switch’, leading to the production of more crops, but since the plant already has this regulatory mechanism, it is not endowed with a completely new ability, only connected to the existing one. In the future, the main focus will be on how this change can be achieved by involving plants’ own genetic components without the use of the human gene.

(source: Qiong Yu et.al.)