Overexpression of Brassica napus COMT1 in Arabidopsis heightens UV-B-mediated resistance to Plutella xylostella herbivory.

UV-B radiation regulates numerous morphogenic, biochemical and physiological responses in plants, and can stimulate some responses typically associated with other abiotic and biotic stimuli, including invertebrate herbivory. Removal of UV-B from the growing environment of various plant species has been found to increase their susceptibility to consumption by invertebrate pests, however, to date, little research has been conducted to investigate the effects of UV-B on crop susceptibility to field pests. Here, we report findings from a multi-omic and genetic-based study investigating the mechanisms of UV-B-stimulated resistance of the crop, Brassica napus (oilseed rape), to herbivory from an economically important lepidopteran specialist of the Brassicaceae, Plutella xylostella (diamondback moth).

Regulation of Molecular Farming Products.

The regulation of molecular farming is a complex topic because plants and plant-based systems are relative newcomers among the many production platforms available for recombinant proteins. The regulations specific for different types of product (human/veterinary pharmaceuticals and medical devices, cosmetics, diagnostics, and research reagents) must therefore be overlaid with the regulations governing hitherto unfamiliar production platforms, and this must be achieved in different jurisdictions that handle genetically modified organisms (and genetically modified plants in particular) in very different ways. This chapter uses examples of different product types and production methods in three different jurisdictions (the USA, the EU, and Canada) to demonstrate some of the challenges facing the regulatory authorities.

Impacts of the EU GMO regulatory framework for plant genome editing.

New plant breeding technologies, such as genome editing, are enabling new crop varieties to be developed far quicker and with greater precision and scope than achievable using conventional methods. These advances could help farmers address the challenges of climate change, sustainability, and global food security. However, despite their potential, the uptake of these new technologies has been slowed down due to the uncertainty associated with the regulation of genome edited crops.