{"id":38988,"date":"2025-03-11T19:00:36","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T13:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=38988"},"modified":"2025-03-17T16:35:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T11:05:46","slug":"gene-edited-bananas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-03-2025\/gene-edited-bananas","title":{"rendered":"Gene-Edited Bananas\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus :GS3\/Science and Technology&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, a UK-based biotech company developed genetically-engineered bananas that have a <strong>longer shelf-life<\/strong> and <strong>do not brown<\/strong> as much.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Ripening of Bananas<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bananas undergo a ripening process triggered by <strong>ethylene<\/strong>, a hormone they produce in large quantities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ethylene <\/strong>activates genes that produce<strong> polyphenol oxidase (PPO)<\/strong>, an enzyme that causes browning by breaking down the yellow pigment in bananas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bruising increases ethylene production, speeding up ripening and browning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Latest Developments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Scientists <strong>genetically modified bananas<\/strong> by silencing the gene that produces PPO, preventing browning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This genetic modification does not stop ripening but keeps the fruit looking fresh longer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A similar technique was <strong>used in Arctic apples<\/strong>, which have been commercially sold since 2017.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/01-04-2022\/genome-editing\"><strong><u>Gene Editing<\/u><\/strong><\/a><strong>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a method that allows scientists to <strong>modify the DNA of various organisms (plants, bacteria, animals)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It leads to changes in physical traits (e.g., eye color) and disease risk.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Early genome editing technologies were developed in the late 1900s.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The<strong> CRISPR tool, invented in 2009<\/strong>, revolutionized genome editing by making it simpler, faster, cheaper, and more accurate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CRISPR is now widely used by scientists for genome editing due to its <strong>efficiency and precision.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"efeded\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"662\" height=\"452\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Gene-Edited-Bananas.png\" alt=\"dna editing\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-38989\" style=\"--dominant-color: #efeded; width:436px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Gene-Edited-Bananas.png 662w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Gene-Edited-Bananas-300x205.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 662px) 100vw, 662px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recent Trends in Gene Editing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>CRISPR Technology Advancements: <\/strong>While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/crispr-cas9\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/crispr-cas9\/\"><strong>CRISPR-Cas9<\/strong><\/a> remains a cornerstone, research is expanding to explore other Cas enzymes (like Cas12 and Cas13) and alternative CRISPR systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improved Delivery Methods:<\/strong> Researchers are developing more efficient and targeted delivery systems, including viral vectors, lipid nanoparticles, and other innovative approaches.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gene Therapy for Genetic Diseases:<\/strong> Gene editing is showing promise for treating inherited disorders like sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, and Huntington&#8217;s disease.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Crop Improvement:<\/strong> Gene editing is being used to develop crops with enhanced traits, such as increased yield, improved nutritional value, and resistance to pests and diseases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Regulations in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)<\/strong> under <strong>MoEFCC <\/strong>oversees gene-editing approvals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)<\/strong> regulates genetically modified (GM) food products.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Current Status In India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has approved GM Mustard hybrid DMH-11 for its seed production and testing but has not yet approved CRISPR-based crops.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is exploring gene-editing research aimed at enhancing climate resilience and pest resistance in crops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source :IE<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, a UK-based biotech company developed genetically-engineered bananas that have a longer shelf-life and do not brown as much.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38988"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39216,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38988\/revisions\/39216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}