The application of GMOs in agriculture and in food production for a better nutrition: two different scientific points of view

Revealing the seed microbiome: Navigating sequencing tools, microbial assembly, and functions to amplify plant fitness

Microbial communities within seeds play a vital role in transmitting themselves to the next generation of plants. These microorganisms significantly impact seed vigor and early seedling growth, for successful crop establishment. Previous studies reported on seed-associated microbial communities and their influence on processes like dormancy release, germination, and disease protection. Modern sequencing and conventional methods reveal microbial community structures and environmental impacts, these information helps in microbial selection and manipulation. These studies form the foundation for using seed microbiomes to enhance crop resilience and productivity. While existing research has primarily focused on characterizing microbiota in dried mature seeds, a significant gap exists in understanding how these microbial communities assemble during seed development. The review also discusses applying seed-associated microorganisms to improve crops in the context of climate change. However, limited knowledge is available about the microbial assembly pattern on seeds, and their impact on plant growth. The review provides insight into microbial composition, functions, and significance for plant health, particularly regarding growth promotion and pest control.

Biotechnology and urban agriculture: A partnership for the future sustainability

The global population is growing rapidly, and with it, the demand for food. In the coming decades, more and more people will be living in urban areas, where land for traditional agriculture is scarce. Urban agriculture can help to meet this growing demand for food in a sustainable way. Urban agriculture is the practice of growing food in urban areas. It can be done on rooftops, balconies, vacant lots, and even in alleyways. Urban agriculture can produce a variety of crops, including fruits, vegetables, and herbs. It can also help to improve air quality, reduce stormwater runoff, and create jobs. Biotechnology can be used to improve the efficiency and sustainability of urban agriculture. Biotechnological tools can be used to develop crops that are resistant to pests and diseases, that are more tolerant of drought and heat, and that have higher yields. Biotechnology can also be used to improve the nutritional value of crops. This review article discusses the need for and importance of urban agriculture, biotechnology, and genome editing in meeting the growing demand for food in urban areas. It also discusses the potential of biotechnology to improve the sustainability of urban agriculture.

What do popular YouTube videos say about genetically modified foods? A content analysis

Purpose

YouTube is one of the most popular media sharing platforms that facilitates both professionals and lay people to participate in dissemination of knowledge and opinions. Its wide-reaching impact allows both top-down and bottom-up flow of information between experts and lay audience. With a vast proportion of Americans obtaining health-related information digitally, the purpose of this study was to describe the content of 100 most viewed YouTube videos in the English language, specific to genetically modified foods (GMFs).

Methods

Using the search terms "genetically modified foods" the URLs and metadata for 100 English YouTube videos with the highest viewership were curated. Each video was viewed, and dichotomously coded for the absence or presence of ten content categories. Descriptive statistics, percentages of categorical variables and independent one-tailed t-tests (α=.05) were conducted to assess the statistical effect of the absence or presence of these categories on the number of views and likes garnered by the videos.

Results

Cumulatively, the 100 videos observed received 65,536,885 views and 1,328,605 likes. Only 7% of the videos were created by professionally credentialed individuals or organizations. More than 90% of the sampled videos described GMFs with an example, 50% mentioned their role in alleviating hunger, and 65% mentioned ecological concerns attributed to GMFs.

Conclusions

Our results underscore the need for health professionals to increase their digital presence on online media sharing platforms such as YouTube, and capitalize on its pervasiveness as potential conduits of accurate scientific information to equip consumers make evidence-based, informed decision regarding GMFs.

Genetically modified foods: bibliometric analysis on consumer perception and preference

In this study, we present the bibliometric trends emerging from research outputs on consumer perception and preference for genetically modified (GM) foods and policy prescriptions for enabling the consumption using VOSviewer visualization software. Consumers' positive response is largely influenced by the decision of the governments to ban or approve the GM crops cultivation. Similarly, the public support increases when the potential benefits of the technology are well articulated, consumption increases with a price discount, people's trust on the government and belief in science increases with a positive influence by the media. Europe and the USA are the first region and country, respectively, in terms of the number of active institutions per research output, per-capita GDP publication and citations. We suggest research-, agri-food industries-, and society-oriented policies to be implemented by the stakeholders to ensure the safety of GM foods, encourage consumer-based studies, and increase public awareness toward these food products.

Genetically engineered crops for sustainably enhanced food production systems

Genetic modification of crops has substantially focused on improving traits for desirable outcomes. It has resulted in the development of crops with enhanced yields, quality, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. With the advent of introducing favorable traits into crops, biotechnology has created a path for the involvement of genetically modified (GM) crops into sustainable food production systems. Although these plants heralded a new era of crop production, their widespread adoption faces diverse challenges due to concerns about the environment, human health, and moral issues. Mitigating these concerns with scientific investigations is vital. Hence, the purpose of the present review is to discuss the deployment of GM crops and their effects on sustainable food production systems. It provides a comprehensive overview of the cultivation of GM crops and the issues preventing their widespread adoption, with appropriate strategies to overcome them. This review also presents recent tools for genome editing, with a special focus on the CRISPR/Cas9 platform. An outline of the role of crops developed through CRSIPR/Cas9 in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030 is discussed in detail. Some perspectives on the approval of GM crops are also laid out for the new age of sustainability. The advancement in molecular tools through plant genome editing addresses many of the GM crop issues and facilitates their development without incorporating transgenic modifications. It will allow for a higher acceptance rate of GM crops in sustainable agriculture with rapid approval for commercialization. The current genetic modification of crops forecasts to increase productivity and prosperity in sustainable agricultural practices. The right use of GM crops has the potential to offer more benefit than harm, with its ability to alleviate food crises around the world.

PertOrg 1.0: a comprehensive resource of multilevel alterations induced in model organisms by in vivo genetic perturbation

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be generated to model human genetic disease or plant disease resistance, and they have contributed to the exploration and understanding of gene function, physiology, disease onset and drug target discovery. Here, PertOrg (http://www.inbirg.com/pertorg/) was introduced to provide multilevel alterations in GMOs. Raw data of 58 707 transcriptome profiles and associated information, such as phenotypic alterations, were collected and curated from studies involving in vivo genetic perturbation (e.g. knockdown, knockout and overexpression) in eight model organisms, including mouse, rat and zebrafish. The transcriptome profiles from before and after perturbation were organized into 10 116 comparison datasets, including 122 single-cell RNA-seq datasets. The raw data were checked and analysed using widely accepted and standardized pipelines to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in perturbed organisms. As a result, 8 644 148 DEGs were identified and deposited as signatures of gene perturbations. Downstream functional enrichment analysis, cell type analysis and phenotypic alterations were also provided when available. Multiple search methods and analytical tools were created and implemented. Furthermore, case studies were presented to demonstrate how users can utilize the database. PertOrg 1.0 will be a valuable resource aiding in the exploration of gene functions, biological processes and disease models.

The Modulatory Effects of Non-Thermal Plasma on Seed’s Morphology, Germination and Genetics—A Review

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a novel and promising technique in the agricultural field that has the potential to improve vegetal material by modulating the expression of various genes involved in seed germination, plant immune response to abiotic stress, resistance to pathogens, and growth. Seeds are most frequently treated, in order to improve their ability to growth and evolve, but the whole plant can also be treated for a fast adaptive response to stress factors (heat, cold, pathogens). This review focuses mainly on the application of NTP on seeds. Non-thermal plasma treated seeds present both external and internal changes. The external ones include the alterations of seed coat to improve hydrophilicity and the internal ones refer to interfere with cellular processes that are later visible in metabolic and plant biology modifications. The usage of plasma aims to decrease the usage of fertilizers and pesticides in order to reduce the negative impact on natural ecosystem and to reduce the costs of production.

Green Revolution to Gene Revolution: Technological Advances in Agriculture to Feed the World

Technological applications in agriculture have evolved substantially to increase crop yields and quality to meet global food demand. Conventional techniques, such as seed saving, selective breeding, and mutation breeding (variation breeding), have dramatically increased crop production, especially during the 'Green Revolution' in the 1990s. However, newer issues, such as limited arable lands, climate change, and ever-increasing food demand, pose challenges to agricultural production and threaten food security. In the following 'Gene Revolution' era, rapid innovations in the biotechnology field provide alternative strategies to further improve crop yield, quality, and resilience towards biotic and abiotic stresses. These innovations include the introduction of DNA recombinant technology and applications of genome editing techniques, such as transcription activator-like effector (TALEN), zinc-finger nucleases (ZFN), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated (CRISPR/Cas) systems. However, the acceptance and future of these modern tools rely on the regulatory frameworks governing their development and production in various countries. Herein, we examine the evolution of technological applications in agriculture, focusing on the motivations for their introduction, technical challenges, possible benefits and concerns, and regulatory frameworks governing genetically engineered product development and production.

Pesticide usage practices as sources of occupational exposure and health impacts on horticultural farmers in Meru County, Kenya

This study assessed pesticide usage practices, knowledge and health effects of pesticides through occupational exposure in randomly selected horticultural farmers in Imenti North, Imenti South and Buuri Sub-counties in Meru, Kenya, where horticultural crops are grown intensively for export and local consumption. The study was done through use of questionnaire distributed to farmers' households, agricultural extension workers and health care workers. The survey established that various classes of pesticides were used in horticultural crop farming and animal production in all the three sub-counties, with the most frequently used (>60 respondents out of 173) being parathion, diazinon, dimethoate, permethrin, pirimiphos methyl, endrin, deltamethrin, dieldrin, propoxur and endosulfan. It was found that there is a gap between the existing government regulations on pesticide use and safe handling and the implementation of these regulations by dealers, farmers and farm workers in the three sub-counties as some of the pesticides that were being used such as parathion, endrin, dieldrin and carbofuran had been banned by the government. Although most farmers had general information on pesticide usage through various social groups and contact with agricultural extension workers, only 32-43 % of the farmers had received training on pesticide handling and use. Most farmers (65%) had knowledge of safe pesticide handling procedures including reading labels on packages and wearing protective clothing; but many farmers (44% in Buuri, 57% in Imenti South and 60% in Imenti North) did not wear the requisite protective clothing when applying pesticides. The agricultural extension workers (52%) and health care workers (59%) were trained in their work and had at least a certificate level qualification from a tertiary institution. Most agricultural extension workers (95%) and health care workers (71%) had experience of dealing with pesticides and knew how to administer 1^st AID against pesticide poisoning, respectively. Farmers (26%) reported experiencing health effects after using pesticides, with most effects being felt after using dimethoate, malathion, carbofuran, carbaryl and heptachlor. There was a statistically significant (p < 0.05) association between various factors (availability of protective clothing, hiring of labourers, farm land size, expenditure on pesticides and expenditure on treatment, respectively) on intoxication from pesticide exposure.

Social participation in science: Perspectives of Spanish civil society organizations

There is a general trend toward more active, broader, and more inclusive participation of different stakeholders in science. Civil society organizations' inclusion in the scientific process is being promoted. However, there are few attempts to understand the role of civil society organizations in research. This study is based on the analysis of 31 semi-structured interviews with Spanish civil society organization managers and representatives. Our main results regarding the current relationship between civil society organizations and the research system are (a) civil society organizations mainly participate in science within one single research moment and they are unaware of their potential. (b) We identify a lack of resources, mutual knowledge (among civil society organizations and academia), and capabilities as barriers for civil society organizations' participation.

Shotguns vs Lasers: Identifying barriers and facilitators to scaling-up plant molecular farming for high-value health products

Plant molecular farming (PMF) is a convenient and cost-effective way to produce high-value recombinant proteins that can be used in the production of a range of health products, from pharmaceutical therapeutics to cosmetic products. New plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) provide a means to enhance PMF systems more quickly and with greater precision than ever before. However, the feasibility, regulatory standing and social acceptability of both PMF and NPBTs are in question. This paper explores the perceptions of key stakeholders on two European Union (EU) Horizon 2020 programmes-Pharma-Factory and Newcotiana-towards the barriers and facilitators of PMF and NPBTs in Europe. One-on-one qualitative interviews were undertaken with N = 20 individuals involved in one or both of the two projects at 16 institutions in seven countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Israel, Spain and the UK). The findings indicate that the current EU regulatory environment and the perception of the public towards biotechnology are seen as the main barriers to scaling-up PMF and NPBTs. Competition from existing systems and the lack of plant-specific regulations likewise present challenges for PMF developing beyond its current niche. However, respondents felt that the communication of the benefits and purpose of NPBT PMF could provide a platform for improving the social acceptance of genetic modification. The importance of the media in this process was highlighted. This article also uses the multi-level perspective to explore the ways in which NPBTs are being legitimated by interested parties and the systemic factors that have shaped and are continuing to shape the development of PMF in Europe.

Role of some natural anti-oxidants in the down regulation of Kim, VCAM1, Cystatin C protein expression in lead acetate-induced acute kidney injury

BACKGROUND

Lead is a dangerous systemic toxicant and can provoke life-threatening renal injury. The plan of this study was to evaluate the potential impact of curcumin (CRMN) and L-ascorbic acid (L-ascb) alone or together to counteract lead acetate (Pb-acetate)-induced renal damage in rats and to find out the underlying mechanisms of action of these nutraceuticals.

METHODS

Pb-acetate (100 mg/kg/day, i.p.) was injected in male rats along with L-ascb (250 mg/kg/day) and/or CRMN (200 mg/kg/day) orally for 7 days.

RESULTS

Pb-acetate administration increased serum urea, creatinine and uric acid. Renal tissue showed a marked depletion in reduced glutathione level and superoxide dismutase activity and elevation in nitric oxide and malondialdehyde levels. Serum C-reactive protein and IL-1β levels were elevated. Up-regulation of the expression of kidney injury molecule, vascular adhesion molecule-1 and Cystatin C were noticed after Pb-acetate administration. DNA fragmentation was also increased in renal tissues. Histopathological examination revealed a destructed partial layer of Bowman's capsule, proximal and distal convoluted tubules. Treatment with the aforementioned antioxidants ameliorated most of the altered measured biomarker levels.

CONCLUSION

Interestingly, the combination of L-ascb and CRMN showed the superlative protective effect against Pb-acetate-induced nephrotoxicity.

Cold Atmospheric Plasma-Activated Water Irrigation Induces Defense Hormone and Gene expression in Tomato seedlings

Plants are very vulnerable to pathogen attacks and environmental stress as they are exposed to harsh environments in natural conditions. However, they have evolved a self-defense system whereby reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) act as double-edged swords by imposing (at higher concentration) and mitigating (at lower concentration) environmental stress. Cold plasma is emerging as a feasible option to produce a variety of RONS in a controlled manner when amalgamate with water. Cold plasma activated/treated water (PAW) contains a variety of RONS at concentrations, which may help to activate the plant’s defense system components. In the present study, we examine the effect of cold atmospheric-air jet plasma exposure (15 min, 30 min, and 60 min) on the water’s RONS level, as well as the impact of PAW irrigation, (assigned as 15PAW, 30PAW, and 60PAW) on tomato seedlings growth and defense response. We found that PAW irrigation (priming) upregulate seedlings growth, endogenous RONS, defense hormone (salicylic acid and jasmonic acid), and expression of key pathogenesis related (PR) gene. 30 min PAW contains RONS at concentrations which can induce non-toxic signaling. The present study suggests that PAW irrigation can be beneficial for agriculture as it modulates plant growth as well as immune response components.

Transgenic crops for the agricultural improvement in Pakistan: a perspective of environmental stresses and the current status of genetically modified crops

Transgenic technologies have emerged as a powerful tool for crop improvement in terms of yield, quality, and quantity in many countries of the world. However, concerns also exist about the possible risks involved in transgenic crop cultivation. In this review, literature is analyzed to gauge the real intensity of the issues caused by environmental stresses in Pakistan. In addition, the research work on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) development and their performance is analyzed to serve as a guide for the scientists to help them select useful genes for crop transformation in Pakistan. The funding of GMOs research in Pakistan shows that it does not follow the global trend. We also present socio-economic impact of GM crops and political dimensions in the seed sector and the policies of the government. We envisage that this review provides guidelines for public and private sectors as well as the policy makers in Pakistan and in other countries that face similar environmental threats posed by the changing climate.

Towards Food Security: Current State and Future Prospects of Agrobiotechnology

The consistent increase in the global population, estimated to reach 9 billion people by 2050, poses a serious challenge for the achievement of global food security. Therefore, the need to feed an increasing world population and to respond adequately to the effects of climate change must be urgently considered. Progress may be achieved by applying knowledge of molecular and genetic mechanisms to create and/or improve agricultural and industrial processes. We highlight the importance of crops (wheat, maize, rice, rapeseed, and soybean) to the development of sustainable agriculture and agrobiotechnology in the EU and discuss possible solutions for ensuring food security, while also considering their social acceptance.

TaMIR1139: a wheat miRNA responsive to Pi-starvation, acts a critical mediator in modulating plant tolerance to Pi deprivation

Wheat miRNA member TaMIR1139 targets genes functional in various families and plays crucial roles in regulating plant Pi starvation tolerance. Through regulating target genes at posttranscriptional or translational level, plant miRNAs are involved in mediating diverse biological processes associated with growth, development, and responses to adverse stresses. In this study, we characterized the expression pattern and function of TaMIR1139, a miRNA member of wheat (T. aestivum) under Pi deprivation. TaMIR1139 precursor is also present in N. tabucum, suggesting the conserved nature of miR1139 across monocots and eudicots. TaMIR1139 targets seven genes within different families. The transcripts abundance of TaMIR1139 was induced upon Pi deprivation and the upregulated expression under Pi starvation was downregulated by the Pi recovery treatment, In contrast, the genes targeted by TaMIR1139 exhibited reduced transcripts upon Pi starvation and their downregulated expression was recovered by Pi-recovery condition, suggesting the regulation of them under TaMIR1139 through a cleavage mechanism. TaMIR1139 overexpression conferred the Pi-deprived plants improved phenotype, biomass, photosynthesis, and Pi acquisition. Transcriptome analysis identified numerous genes involving biological process, cellular components, and molecular function were differentially expressed in the TaMIR1139 overexpression lines, which suggests the TaMIR1139-mediated plant Pi starvation tolerance to be associated with the role of miRNA in extensively modulating the transcript profiling. A phosphate transporter (PT) gene NtPT showed significantly upregulated expression in TaMIR1139 overexpression lines; overexpression of it conferred plants improved Pi acquisition upon Pi starvation, suggesting its contribution to the TaMIR1139-mediated plant low-Pi stress resistance. Our investigation indicates that TaMIR1139 is critical in plant Pi starvation tolerance through transcriptionally regulating the target genes and modulating the Pi stress-defensiveness processes.

Food Sustainability in the Context of Human Behavior

The long-term goal of food sustainability is to produce enough food to maintain the human population. The intrinsic factors to guarantee a sustainable food system are a fertile land, water, fertilizers, a stable climate, and energy. However, as the world population grows, the volume of food needed in the future will not depend just on these intrinsic factors, but on human choices. This paper analyzes some of the human actions that may affect the sustainable future of the food supply chain, including diet, obesity, food miles, food waste, and genetically modified organisms.

Profile of genetically modified plants authorized in Mexico

Mexico is a center of origin for several economically important plants including maize, cotton, and cocoa. Maize represents more than a food crop, has been declared a biological, cultural, agricultural and economic patrimony, and is linked to the national identity of Mexicans. In this review, we describe the historic and current use of genetically modified plants in Mexico and factors that contributed to the development of the biosafety regulation. We developed a database containing all permit applications received by the government to release genetically modified plants. A temporal and geographical analysis identified the plant species that have been authorized for experimental purposes, pilot programs, or commercial production, the geographic areas where they have been released, and the traits that have been introduced. Results show that Mexico has faced a dual challenge: accepting the benefits of genetically modified plants and their products, while protecting native plant biodiversity.

A Quantitative PCR-Electrochemical Genosensor Test for the Screening of Biotech Crops

The design of screening methods for the detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food would improve the efficiency in their control. We report here a PCR amplification method combined with a sequence-specific electrochemical genosensor for the quantification of a DNA sequence characteristic of the 35S promoter derived from the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV). Specifically, we employ a genosensor constructed by chemisorption of a thiolated capture probe and p-aminothiophenol gold surfaces to entrap on the sensing layer the unpurified PCR amplicons, together with a signaling probe labeled with fluorescein. The proposed test allows for the determination of a transgene copy number in both hemizygous (maize MON810 trait) and homozygous (soybean GTS40-3-2) transformed plants, and exhibits a limit of quantification of at least 0.25% for both kinds of GMO lines.

Identification of Homogentisate Dioxygenase as a Target for Vitamin E Biofortification in Oilseeds

Soybean (Glycine max) is a major plant source of protein and oil and produces important secondary metabolites beneficial for human health. As a tool for gene function discovery and improvement of this important crop, a mutant population was generated using fast neutron irradiation. Visual screening of mutagenized seeds identified a mutant line, designated MO12, which produced brown seeds as opposed to the yellow seeds produced by the unmodified Williams 82 parental cultivar. Using forward genetic methods combined with comparative genome hybridization analysis, we were able to establish that deletion of the GmHGO1 gene is the genetic basis of the brown seeded phenotype exhibited by the MO12 mutant line. GmHGO1 encodes a homogentisate dioxygenase (HGO), which catalyzes the committed enzymatic step in homogentisate catabolism. This report describes to our knowledge the first functional characterization of a plant HGO gene, defects of which are linked to the human genetic disease alkaptonuria. We show that reduced homogentisate catabolism in a soybean HGO mutant is an effective strategy for enhancing the production of lipid-soluble antioxidants such as vitamin E, as well as tolerance to herbicides that target pathways associated with homogentisate metabolism. Furthermore, this work demonstrates the utility of fast neutron mutagenesis in identifying novel genes that contribute to soybean agronomic traits.

MicroRNAs As Potential Targets for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants

The microRNAs (miRNAs) are small (20-24 nt) sized, non-coding, single stranded riboregulator RNAs abundant in higher organisms. Recent findings have established that plants assign miRNAs as critical post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression in sequence-specific manner to respond to numerous abiotic stresses they face during their growth cycle. These small RNAs regulate gene expression via translational inhibition. Usually, stress induced miRNAs downregulate their target mRNAs, whereas, their downregulation leads to accumulation and function of positive regulators. In the past decade, investigations were mainly aimed to identify plant miRNAs, responsive to individual or multiple environmental factors, profiling their expression patterns and recognizing their roles in stress responses and tolerance. Altered expressions of miRNAs implicated in plant growth and development have been reported in several plant species subjected to abiotic stress conditions such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, nutrient deprivation, and heavy metals. These findings indicate that miRNAs may hold the key as potential targets for genetic manipulations to engineer abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants. This review is aimed to provide recent updates on plant miRNAs, their biogenesis and functions, target prediction and identification, computational tools and databases available for plant miRNAs, and their roles in abiotic stress-responses and adaptive mechanisms in major crop plants. Besides, the recent case studies for overexpressing the selected miRNAs for miRNA-mediated enhanced abiotic stress tolerance of transgenic plants have been discussed.

Retracting Inconclusive Research: Lessons from the Séralini GM Maize Feeding Study

In September 2012, Gilles-Eric Séralini and seven coauthors published an article in Food and Chemical Toxicology claiming that rats fed Roundup©-resistant genetically modified maize alone, genetically modified maize with Roundup©, or Roundup© for 2 years had a higher percentage of tumors and kidney and liver damage than normal controls. Shortly after this study was published, numerous scientists and several scientific organizations criticized the research as methodologically and ethically flawed. In January 2014, the journal retracted the article without the authors' consent on the grounds that the research was inconclusive. In June 2014, Environmental Sciences Europe published a slightly modified version of the retracted paper. The publication, retraction and subsequent republication of the Séralini study raise important scientific and ethical issues for journal editors. Decisions to retract an article should be made on the basis of well-established policies. Articles should be retracted only for serious errors that undermine the reliability of the data or results, or for serious ethical lapses, such as research misconduct or mistreatment of animal or human subjects. Inconclusiveness, by itself, is not a sufficient reason for retracting an article, though a flawed study design might be. Retracted articles that are submitted for republication should undergo scientific review to ensure that they meet appropriate standards. Republished articles should be linked to the original, retracted publication. Journals that are reviewing studies with significant scientific and social implications should take special care to ensure that peer review is rigorous and fair.

Application of microRNA gene resources in the improvement of agronomic traits in rice

microRNAs (miRNAs) are important nonprotein-coding genes that are involved in almost all biological processes, including cell differentiation and fate determination, developmental regulation, and immune responses. Investigations have shown that some miRNAs can highly affect plant agricultural traits, including virus resistance, nematode resistance, drought and salinity tolerance, heavy metal detoxification, biomass yield, grain yield, fruit development and flower development. Therefore, these miRNAs are considered a newly identified gene resource for the genetic improvement of crops. In this review, we will summarize the recent findings of the rice miRNA-directed regulatory network, which controls agronomic traits such as yield, quality and stress tolerance, and explore the outlook for the uses of these miRNA-associated traits in rice biotechnology.

MicroRNA-mediated gene regulation: potential applications for plant genetic engineering

Food security is one of the most important issues challenging the world today. Any strategies to solve this problem must include increasing crop yields and quality. MicroRNA-based genetic modification technology (miRNA-based GM tech) can be one of the most promising solutions that contribute to agricultural productivity directly by developing superior crop cultivars with enhanced biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and increased biomass yields. Indirectly, the technology may increase usage of marginal soils and decrease pesticide use, among other benefits. This review highlights the most recent progress of transgenic studies utilizing various miRNAs and their targets for plant trait modifications, and analyzes the potential of miRNA-mediated gene regulation for use in crop improvement. Strategies for manipulating miRNAs and their targets in transgenic plants including constitutive, stress-induced, or tissue-specific expression of miRNAs or their targets, RNA interference, expressing miRNA-resistant target genes, artificial target mimic and artificial miRNAs were discussed. We also discussed potential risks of utilizing miRNA-based GM tech. In general, miRNAs and their targets not only provide an invaluable source of novel transgenes, but also inspire the development of several new GM strategies, allowing advances in breeding novel crop cultivars with agronomically useful characteristics.