New generation plant breeding

The European Court of Justice is to rule on whether crops developed using so-called “New Breeding Techniques” like CRISPR/Cas are the same as those achieved through traditional plant breeding

Bacteria
Bacterial chromosome
Gene
Chromosome
Plant cell

1. Plasmid: Circular DNA molecule is removed from cell. This acts as vector to carry gene

2. DNA containing gene for desired trait is removed from chromosome. Restriction enzyme cuts gene from DNA

3. Vector: Restriction enzyme cleaves plasmid. Second enzyme – DNA ligase – pastes gene into DNA molecule, making recombinant vector

4. Vector inserts gene into chromosomes of plant cells

TRADITIONAL BREEDING
Crops with improved characteristics produced by cross breeding plants with desired gene

Gene has 50-50 chance of being passed to offspring. Desired gene will take multiple generations to spread

RECOMBINANT DNA
Combines genes from different species

NEW  BREEDING TECHNIQUES
Plant with desired gene has gene pasted into all its chromosomes. Gene is transmitted to nearly all offspring

CRISPR/Cas9*: Precise gene-editing cuts DNA at specified sequence and enables introduction of replacement sequence

*Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. Cas9 is a cleaving protein

Sources: Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, Royal Society, Stratfor