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Adegbaju MS, Ajose T, Adegbaju IE, Omosebi T, Ajenifujah-Solebo SO, Falana OY, Shittu OB, Adetunji CO, Akinbo O. Genetic engineering and genome editing technologies as catalyst for Africa's food security: the case of plant biotechnology in Nigeria. Front Genome Ed 2024; 6:1398813. [PMID: 39045572 PMCID: PMC11263695 DOI: 10.3389/fgeed.2024.1398813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Many African countries are unable to meet the food demands of their growing population and the situation is worsened by climate change and disease outbreaks. This issue of food insecurity may lead to a crisis of epic proportion if effective measures are not in place to make more food available. Thus, deploying biotechnology towards the improvement of existing crop varieties for tolerance or resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses is crucial to increasing crop production. In order to optimize crop production, several African countries have implemented strategies to make the most of this innovative technology. For example, Nigerian government has implemented the National Biotechnology Policy to facilitate capacity building, research, bioresource development and commercialization of biotechnology products for over two decades. Several government ministries, research centers, universities, and agencies have worked together to implement the policy, resulting in the release of some genetically modified crops to farmers for cultivation and Commercialization, which is a significant accomplishment. However, the transgenic crops were only brought to Nigeria for confined field trials; the manufacturing of the transgenic crops took place outside the country. This may have contributed to the suspicion of pressure groups and embolden proponents of biotechnology as an alien technology. Likewise, this may also be the underlying issue preventing the adoption of biotechnology products in other African countries. It is therefore necessary that African universities develop capacity in various aspects of biotechnology, to continuously train indigenous scientists who can generate innovative ideas tailored towards solving problems that are peculiar to respective country. Therefore, this study intends to establish the role of genetic engineering and genome editing towards the achievement of food security in Africa while using Nigeria as a case study. In our opinion, biotechnology approaches will not only complement conventional breeding methods in the pursuit of crop improvements, but it remains a viable and sustainable means of tackling specific issues hindering optimal crop production. Furthermore, we suggest that financial institutions should offer low-interest loans to new businesses. In order to promote the growth of biotechnology products, especially through the creation of jobs and revenues through molecular farming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muyiwa Seyi Adegbaju
- Department of Crop, Soil and Pest Management, Federal University of Technology Akure, Akure, Ondo, Nigeria
| | - Titilayo Ajose
- Fruits and Spices Department, National Horticultural Institute, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria
| | | | - Temitayo Omosebi
- Department of Agricultural Technology, Federal College of Forestry, Jos, Nigeria
| | | | - Olaitan Yetunde Falana
- Department of Genetics, Genomic and Bioinformatics, National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Olufunke Bolatito Shittu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Biosciences, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria
| | | | - Olalekan Akinbo
- African Union Development Agency-NEPAD, Office of Science, Technology and Innovation, Midrand, South Africa
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Jalil S, Ali Q, Khan AU, Nazir MM, Ali S, Zulfiqar F, Javed MA, Jin X. Molecular and biochemical characterization of rice developed through conventional integration of nDart1-0 transposon gene. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8139. [PMID: 37208408 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35095-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations, the genetic variations in genomic sequences, play an important role in molecular biology and biotechnology. During DNA replication or meiosis, one of the mutations is transposons or jumping genes. An indigenous transposon nDart1-0 was successfully introduced into local indica cultivar Basmati-370 from transposon-tagged line viz., GR-7895 (japonica genotype) through conventional breeding technique, successive backcrossing. Plants from segregating populationsshowed variegated phenotypes were tagged as BM-37 mutants. Blast analysis of the sequence data revealed that the GTP-binding protein, located on the BAC clone OJ1781_H11 of chromosome 5, contained an insertion of DNA transposon nDart1-0. The nDart1-0 has "A" at position 254 bp, whereas nDart1 homologs have "G", which efficiently distinguishes nDart1-0 from its homologs. The histological analysis revealed that the chloroplast of mesophyll cells in BM-37 was disrupted with reduction in size of starch granules and higher number of osmophillic plastoglobuli, which resulted in decreased chlorophyll contents and carotenoids, gas exchange parameters (Pn, g, E, Ci), and reduced expression level of genes associated with chlorophyll biosynthesis, photosynthesis and chloroplast development. Along with the rise of GTP protein, the salicylic acid (SA) and gibberellic acid (GA) and antioxidant contents(SOD) and MDA levels significantly enhanced, while, the cytokinins (CK), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), total flavanoid contents (TFC) and total phenolic contents (TPC) significantly reduced in BM-37 mutant plants as compared with WT plants. These results support the notion that GTP-binding proteins influence the process underlying chloroplast formation. Therefore, it is anticipated that to combat biotic or abiotic stress conditions, the nDart1-0 tagged mutant (BM-37) of Basmati-370 would be beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanaullah Jalil
- Department of Agronomy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China
- Crop Sciences Institute, National Agricultural Research Center, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
| | - Qurban Ali
- Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, 54590, Pakistan
| | - Asad Ullah Khan
- Department of Agronomy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | | | - Sharafat Ali
- Department of Agronomy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Faisal Zulfiqar
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Arshad Javed
- Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, 54590, Pakistan
| | - Xiaoli Jin
- Department of Agronomy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China.
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Cowling SB, Treeintong P, Ferguson J, Soltani H, Swarup R, Mayes S, Murchie EH. Out of Africa: characterizing the natural variation in dynamic photosynthetic traits in a diverse population of African rice (Oryza glaberrima). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022. [PMID: 34657157 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5555931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
African rice (Oryza glaberrima) has adapted to challenging environments and is a promising source of genetic variation. We analysed dynamics of photosynthesis and morphology in a reference set of 155 O. glaberrima accessions. Plants were grown in an agronomy glasshouse to late tillering stage. Photosynthesis induction from darkness and the decrease in low light was measured by gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence along with root and shoot biomass, stomatal density, and leaf area. Steady-state and kinetic responses were modelled. We describe extensive natural variation in O. glaberrima for steady-state, induction, and reduction responses of photosynthesis that has value for gene discovery and crop improvement. Principal component analyses indicated key clusters of plant biomass, kinetics of photosynthesis (CO2 assimilation, A), and photoprotection induction and reduction (measured by non-photochemical quenching, NPQ), consistent with diverse adaptation. Accessions also clustered according to countries with differing water availability, stomatal conductance (gs), A, and NPQ, indicating that dynamic photosynthesis has adaptive value in O. glaberrima. Kinetics of NPQ, A, and gs showed high correlation with biomass and leaf area. We conclude that dynamic photosynthetic traits and NPQ are important within O. glaberrima, and we highlight NPQ kinetics and NPQ under low light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie B Cowling
- Division of Plant and Crop Science, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Pracha Treeintong
- Division of Plant and Crop Science, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - John Ferguson
- Division of Plant and Crop Science, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hamidreza Soltani
- Advanced Data Analysis Centre, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Ranjan Swarup
- Division of Plant and Crop Science, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Sean Mayes
- Division of Plant and Crop Science, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Erik H Murchie
- Division of Plant and Crop Science, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
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Cowling SB, Treeintong P, Ferguson J, Soltani H, Swarup R, Mayes S, Murchie EH. Out of Africa: characterizing the natural variation in dynamic photosynthetic traits in a diverse population of African rice (Oryza glaberrima). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:3283-3298. [PMID: 34657157 PMCID: PMC9126740 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
African rice (Oryza glaberrima) has adapted to challenging environments and is a promising source of genetic variation. We analysed dynamics of photosynthesis and morphology in a reference set of 155 O. glaberrima accessions. Plants were grown in an agronomy glasshouse to late tillering stage. Photosynthesis induction from darkness and the decrease in low light was measured by gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence along with root and shoot biomass, stomatal density, and leaf area. Steady-state and kinetic responses were modelled. We describe extensive natural variation in O. glaberrima for steady-state, induction, and reduction responses of photosynthesis that has value for gene discovery and crop improvement. Principal component analyses indicated key clusters of plant biomass, kinetics of photosynthesis (CO2 assimilation, A), and photoprotection induction and reduction (measured by non-photochemical quenching, NPQ), consistent with diverse adaptation. Accessions also clustered according to countries with differing water availability, stomatal conductance (gs), A, and NPQ, indicating that dynamic photosynthesis has adaptive value in O. glaberrima. Kinetics of NPQ, A, and gs showed high correlation with biomass and leaf area. We conclude that dynamic photosynthetic traits and NPQ are important within O. glaberrima, and we highlight NPQ kinetics and NPQ under low light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie B Cowling
- Division of Plant and Crop Science, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Pracha Treeintong
- Division of Plant and Crop Science, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - John Ferguson
- Division of Plant and Crop Science, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hamidreza Soltani
- Advanced Data Analysis Centre, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Ranjan Swarup
- Division of Plant and Crop Science, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Sean Mayes
- Division of Plant and Crop Science, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Erik H Murchie
- Division of Plant and Crop Science, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
- Correspondence:
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Toulotte JM, Pantazopoulou CK, Sanclemente MA, Voesenek LACJ, Sasidharan R. Water stress resilient cereal crops: Lessons from wild relatives. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 64:412-430. [PMID: 35029029 PMCID: PMC9255596 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Cereal crops are significant contributors to global diets. As climate change disrupts weather patterns and wreaks havoc on crops, the need for generating stress-resilient, high-yielding varieties is more urgent than ever. One extremely promising avenue in this regard is to exploit the tremendous genetic diversity expressed by the wild ancestors of current day crop species. These crop wild relatives thrive in a range of environments and accordingly often harbor an array of traits that allow them to do so. The identification and introgression of these traits into our staple cereal crops can lessen yield losses in stressful environments. In the last decades, a surge in extreme drought and flooding events have severely impacted cereal crop production. Climate models predict a persistence of this trend, thus reinforcing the need for research on water stress resilience. Here we review: (i) how water stress (drought and flooding) impacts crop performance; and (ii) how identification of tolerance traits and mechanisms from wild relatives of the main cereal crops, that is, rice, maize, wheat, and barley, can lead to improved survival and sustained yields in these crops under water stress conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine M. Toulotte
- Department of Biology, Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrecht3584 CHThe Netherlands
| | - Chrysoula K. Pantazopoulou
- Department of Biology, Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrecht3584 CHThe Netherlands
| | - Maria Angelica Sanclemente
- Department of Biology, Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrecht3584 CHThe Netherlands
| | - Laurentius A. C. J. Voesenek
- Department of Biology, Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrecht3584 CHThe Netherlands
| | - Rashmi Sasidharan
- Department of Biology, Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrecht3584 CHThe Netherlands
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Bianco C, Andreozzi A, Romano S, Fagorzi C, Cangioli L, Prieto P, Cisse F, Niangado O, Sidibé A, Pianezze S, Perini M, Mengoni A, Defez R. Endophytes from African Rice ( Oryza glaberrima L.) Efficiently Colonize Asian Rice ( Oryza sativa L.) Stimulating the Activity of Its Antioxidant Enzymes and Increasing the Content of Nitrogen, Carbon, and Chlorophyll. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9081714. [PMID: 34442793 PMCID: PMC8398951 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9081714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial endophytes support the adaptation of host plants to harsh environments. In this study, culturable bacterial endophytes were isolated from the African rice Oryza glaberrima L., which is well-adapted to grow with poor external inputs in the tropical region of Mali. Among these, six N-fixer strains were used to inoculate O. glaberrima RAM133 and the Asian rice O. sativa L. cv. Baldo, selected for growth in temperate climates. The colonization efficiency and the N-fixing activity were evaluated and compared for the two rice varieties. Oryza sativa-inoculated plants showed a fairly good colonization efficiency and nitrogenase activity. The inoculation of Oryza sativa with the strains Klebsiella pasteurii BDA134-6 and Phytobacter diazotrophicus BDA59-3 led to the highest nitrogenase activity. In addition, the inoculation of ‘Baldo’ plants with the strain P. diazotrophicus BDA59-3 led to a significant increase in nitrogen, carbon and chlorophyll content. Finally, ‘Baldo’ plants inoculated with Kl. pasteurii BDA134-6 showed the induction of antioxidant enzymes activity and the maintenance of nitrogen-fixation under salt stress as compared to the unstressed controls. As these endophytes efficiently colonize high-yielding crop varieties grown in cold temperate climates, they become good candidates to promote their growth under unfavorable conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Bianco
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.A.); (S.R.); (R.D.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-081-613-2610
| | - Anna Andreozzi
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.A.); (S.R.); (R.D.)
| | - Silvia Romano
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.A.); (S.R.); (R.D.)
| | - Camilla Fagorzi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; (C.F.); (L.C.); (A.M.)
| | - Lisa Cangioli
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; (C.F.); (L.C.); (A.M.)
| | - Pilar Prieto
- Departamento de Mejora Genética, Campus ‘Alamedadel Obispo’, Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (IAS), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avd. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004 Córdoba, Spain;
| | - Fousseyni Cisse
- Institut d’Economie Rurale, Rue Mohamed V Bamako, Bamako B.P. 258, Mali; (F.C.); (A.S.)
| | - Oumar Niangado
- Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, Bamako B.P.E. 1449, Mali;
| | - Amadou Sidibé
- Institut d’Economie Rurale, Rue Mohamed V Bamako, Bamako B.P. 258, Mali; (F.C.); (A.S.)
| | - Silvia Pianezze
- Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via Mach 1, 38098 San Michele All’Adige, Italy; (S.P.); (M.P.)
- Environmental and Animal Sciences DI4A, Università degli Studi di Udine, Via Sondrio 2/A, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Matteo Perini
- Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via Mach 1, 38098 San Michele All’Adige, Italy; (S.P.); (M.P.)
| | - Alessio Mengoni
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; (C.F.); (L.C.); (A.M.)
| | - Roberto Defez
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.A.); (S.R.); (R.D.)
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Wambugu PW, Ndjiondjop MN, Henry R. Genetics and Genomics of African Rice (Oryza glaberrima Steud) Domestication. RICE (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2021; 14:6. [PMID: 33415579 PMCID: PMC7790969 DOI: 10.1186/s12284-020-00449-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
African rice (Oryza glaberrima Steud) is one of the two independently domesticated rice species, the other one being Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.). Despite major progress being made in understanding the evolutionary and domestication history of African rice, key outstanding issues remain controversial. There appears to be an underlying difficulty in identifying the domestication centre and number of times the crop has been domesticated. Advances in genomics have provided unprecedented opportunities for understanding the genetic architecture of domestication related traits. For most of the domestication traits, the underlying genes and mutations have been identified. Comparative analysis of domestication genes between Asian and African rice has revealed that the two species went through an independent but convergent evolution process. The genetic and developmental basis of some of the domestic traits are conserved not only between Asian and African rice but also with other domesticated crop species. Analysis of genome data and its interpretation is emerging as a major challenge facing studies of domestication in African rice as key studies continue giving contradictory findings and conclusions. Insights obtained on the domestication of this species are vital for guiding crop improvement efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peterson W. Wambugu
- Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Genetic Resources Research Institute, P.O. Box 30148, Nairobi, 00100 Kenya
| | - Marie-Noelle Ndjiondjop
- M’bé Research Station, Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), 01 B.P. 2551 Bouaké 01, Côte d’Ivoire
| | - Robert Henry
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
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