A talk for an agriculture audience to introduce them to new gene editing technologies and how they are changing plant and animal breeding. Presented June 6, 2016 at GCREC in Balm, FL

1. Kevin M. Folta
Professor and Chairman
Horticultural Sciences Department
kfolta.blogspot.com
@kevinfolta
kfolta@ufl.edu
www.talkingbiotechpodcast.com
slideshare.net/kevinfolta
You Can’t Stop This Train--
Gene Editing

2. Plant (?) Genetic Improvement

5. Why not just use breeding? Think trees!
Backcrossing removes undesirable genes/alleles.

6. Gene Editing
Not adding a gene, changing the gene that is present
so that it stops function or creates a known change.
Still strong opposition from activist NGOs
Some countries have taken stands on the issue
Stands to generate rapid improvement of crop plants,
especially where traditional breeding is long (trees)

7. Gene Editing
CRISPR/Cas9 -- a bacterial system that can be used to change DNA
sequences, with no ‘genetic engineering’ sequences left behind.

10. CRISPR Cas9
Hardware
Guide RNA
Software
You need… The organism to change, the DNA that
encodes the hardware to make the change, and the
information for what to change.

12. Gene edited tree
(contains CRISPR Cas9 hardware)

13. Gene edited tree
(contains CRISPR Cas9 hardware)
Elite Variety
X

14. Gene edited tree
(contains CRISPR Cas9 hardware)
Elite Variety
X

15. Gene edited tree
(contains CRISPR Cas9 hardware)
You need… The organism to change, the DNA that
encodes the hardware to make the change, and the
information for what to change.
Elite Variety

16. Gene Editing
You can make information based, precise,
changes.
Small tweaks to elite cultivars.
The “hardware” can be removed by crossing.
Final product indistinguishable from conventional
breeding

17. Gene Editing
Horn Gene Horn Gene
NO HORNS!!!
Good beef
Bad milkHORNS!!!
Bad beef
Great milk

18. Gene Editing
Horn Gene Horn Gene
NO HORNS!!!
Good beef
Bad milkHORNS!!!
Bad beef
Great milk
Cross….
Mix of bad beef, bad milk production

19. Gene Editing
Horn Gene Horn Gene
NO HORNS!!!
Good beef
Bad milkHORNS!!!
Bad beef
Great milk
Horn Gene
NO HORNS!!!
Bad beef
Good milk
Episode 002

20. Changing
domestic pigs’
DNA to provide
resistance to
African Swine
Fever
Episode 037

21. ConservationConservation

22. Can we use these technologies to repatriate lost
species?
Can we restore lost ecosystems?
De-extinction?

23. Communication:Communication:
Lead with your values.Lead with your values.
Build the case with logic.Build the case with logic.

24. Farmers
The Needy
Environment
Consumers
Talking CRISPR to public audiences
What are our common concerns? What are our
shared values?

25. Farmers
The Needy
Environment
Consumers
Talking CRISPR to public audiences
Gene Editing technologies allow us to make precise change in
genetic material that match what we could do with breeding or
evolution– if we had hundreds/thousands/millions of years.

26. Conclusion:
Plant genetic improvement is the cornerstone of
human civilization.
Traditional techniques were random yet accepted.
Modern techniques are precise yet questioned.
Gene editing (CRISPR/Cas9) brings new precision
to genetic alternations, that are indistinguishable
from traditional breeding– other than their speed.

27. Thank you
kfolta.blogspot.com
@kevinfolta
www.talkingbiotechpodcast.com
Slides online at slideshare.net/kevinfolta
kfolta@ufl.edu
Dr. Norman Borlaug