Predicted multispecies unintended effects from outdoor genome editing

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Genetics
• Environmental Science

Background:

• CRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful genetic engineering tool used in agriculture for large-scale trait introduction.
• Concerns exist regarding unintended consequences of CRISPR/Cas9 in uncontrolled agricultural environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess potential off-target activity of CRISPR/Cas9 in organisms exposed through agricultural applications.
• To evaluate risks associated with genome editing in uncontrolled agroecosystems.

Main Methods:

• Simulated three agricultural delivery scenarios: irrigation, fumigation, and fertilization.
• Utilized Cas-OFFinder, NCBI Genome Data Viewer, and STRING for off-target effect prediction.
• Performed metabolic enrichment analysis on predicted off-target genes.

Main Results:

• Off-target effects were predicted in multiple agroecosystem species, including humans (42%).
• Predicted off-target genes were linked to physiological networks.
• Analysis indicated potential impacts on nervous and respiratory system development.

Conclusions:

• Caution is crucial when using CRISPR/Cas9 in uncontrolled agricultural settings.
• Unintended genomic alterations in non-target organisms pose potential hazards.
• Safety measures are essential to protect human health and the environment.