Genetic Modification of Food

Teschendorff  et al 2012 demonstrated that epigenetic changes in normal cells can predict the risk of cancer. The DNA methylation (DNAm) profile,  in combination with human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, are a key factor in determining cervical cancer risk. [1]

MicroRNA (miRNA) are short ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules which have very few nucleotides (an average of 22). MiRNA genes are located in the intergenic regions of the plant genome. They regulate the post-transcriptional expression of proteins in plants and animals. MiRNAs are likely to be involved in most biological processes. [1]

According to the UK Royal Society “Synthetic biology is an emerging area of research that can broadly be described as the design and construction of novel artificial biological pathways, organisms or devices, or the redesign of existing natural biological systems.”
Synthetic biology aims to design and construct new biological functions and systems not found in nature. [1]

Dunn et al. 2012 describe a multi-species microarray platform and the array-Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH) of the genomes of several Saccharomyces cerevisiae and  S. paradoxus, S. mikatae, S. kudriavzevii, S. uvarum, S. kluyveri and S. castellii. [1]

The technique is able to identify variations in copy number among different yeasts and determines the evolutionary relationships without sequencing the whole genome.

Cassava  (Manihot esculenta) is a staple food for large African regions, but it has the lowest protein:energy ratio and cassava diet furnishes less than 30% of proteins and  less than 10-20% of the required amounts of iron, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin E. [1]

A novel swine-originated influenza A virus known as pandemic (H1N1) 2009 was first isolated from humans in Mexico in April 2009, the worldwide pandemic resulted in more than 18,000 deaths. Swine, turkeys, ferrets, cats, and cheetahs, were found to have been infected. Transmission from humans to pigs were reported. In August 2010, the World Health Organization stated that the pandemic caused by this virus had ended. [1]

Magnaporthe oryzae causes rice blast disease. It is a plant-pathogenic fungus and is member of the Magnaporthe grisea complex which contains at least two biological species that have clear genetic differences and do not interbreed. Magnaporthe oryzae and Magnaporthe grisea are complex members. [1]

Five tomato mutants of a transgenic, Rx1-expressing ‘Micro-Tom’ line, were found by Sturbois et al  2012 to be affected in the Rx-mediated resistance against Potato virus X (PVX). The mutant tomatoes failed to develop lethal systemic necrosis upon infection with the virulent PVX-KH2 isolate  and accumulation of the virus took place in all mutnats. [1]

Shiping Wang and his group describe genes associated with response to increasing temperature. They note that  these genes are closely related to the disease resistance gene Rice Xa3/Xa26 encoding a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) receptor kinase-type protein against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. [1]

The Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) reported on 21 Nov 2011 data of genetic material of an unknown pathogen by means of  metagenomic analysis. First comparative investigations indicate that the pathogen is a virus of the genus Orthobunyavirus, which is related with the group of Akabane-like viruses. [1]