Georges Fawzy, Ray Heather
a Jene Quests Corporation , Saskatoon , SK , Canada.
GM Crops Food. 2017 Jan 2;8(1):1-12. doi: 10.1080/21645698.2016.1270489. Epub 2017 Jan 11.
Genome editing of crop plants is a rapidly advancing technology whereby targeted mutations can be introduced into a plant genome in a highly specific manner and with great precision. For the most part, the technology does not incorporate transgenic modifications and is far superior to conventional chemical mutagenesis. In this study we bring into focus some of the underlying differences between the 3 existing technologies: classical plant breeding, genetic modification and genome editing. We discuss some of the main achievements from each area and highlight their common characteristics and individual limitations, while emphasizing the unique capabilities of genome editing. We subsequently examine the possible regulatory mechanisms which governments may be inclined to use in assessing the status of genome edited products. If assessed on the basis of their phenotype rather than the process by which they are obtained, these products will be categorized as equivalent to those produced by classical mutagenesis. This would mean that genome edited products will not be subject to the restrictions imposed on genetically modified products, except in some cases where the mutation involves a large sequence insertion into the genome. We conclude by examining the potential of societal acceptance of genome editing technology, reinforced by a scientific perspective on promoting such acceptance.
作物的基因组编辑是一项快速发展的技术，通过该技术可以以高度特异性和极高的精准度将靶向突变引入植物基因组。在很大程度上，该技术不涉及转基因修饰，并且远优于传统的化学诱变方法。在本研究中，我们重点关注了现有三种技术之间的一些潜在差异：经典植物育种、基因修饰和基因组编辑。我们讨论了每个领域的一些主要成果，突出了它们的共同特征和各自的局限性，同时强调了基因组编辑的独特能力。随后，我们研究了政府在评估基因组编辑产品的地位时可能倾向采用的潜在监管机制。如果根据其表型而非获得它们的过程进行评估，这些产品将被归类为等同于通过经典诱变产生的产品。这意味着基因组编辑产品将不受施加于转基因产品的限制，除非在某些情况下突变涉及在基因组中插入大片段序列。我们通过审视社会对基因组编辑技术的接受潜力来得出结论，并从科学角度加强对促进这种接受的认识。
