Tomato is one of the most cultivated fruit crops worldwide and is considered an important part of the Mediterranean diet. Tomato fruit is rich in nutrients and contains various health-related compounds such as iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), vitamins, antioxidants, polyphenols, and carotenoids. However, while regular consumption of tomatoes may have health benefits, the fruit can also trigger the onset of allergies in some consumers. In fact, different studies indicated that the prevalence of tomato allergy is approximately 1.7% to 9.3% in different populations of Europe with an average of 4.9%. In this work, a genome editing technology known as CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat/CRISPR- associated protein 9) was used to improve the qualitative aspect of tomato by reducing the level of allergenic proteins. In particular, the CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to induce mutations in the Solyc08g080640 and Solyc10g080210 genes, which encode respectively for the NP-24 protein, belonging to the Thaumatin-like protein (TLP) family and the Polygalacturonase 2a (PG2a) enzyme, two allergens present in tomato fruit.
CRISPR/Cas9 technology to reduce the levels of allergenic molecules in tomato fruit
Dellino M.
;Montemurro C.;De Giovanni C.;Miazzi M. M.;
2023-01-01
Abstract
Tomato is one of the most cultivated fruit crops worldwide and is considered an important part of the Mediterranean diet. Tomato fruit is rich in nutrients and contains various health-related compounds such as iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), vitamins, antioxidants, polyphenols, and carotenoids. However, while regular consumption of tomatoes may have health benefits, the fruit can also trigger the onset of allergies in some consumers. In fact, different studies indicated that the prevalence of tomato allergy is approximately 1.7% to 9.3% in different populations of Europe with an average of 4.9%. In this work, a genome editing technology known as CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat/CRISPR- associated protein 9) was used to improve the qualitative aspect of tomato by reducing the level of allergenic proteins. In particular, the CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to induce mutations in the Solyc08g080640 and Solyc10g080210 genes, which encode respectively for the NP-24 protein, belonging to the Thaumatin-like protein (TLP) family and the Polygalacturonase 2a (PG2a) enzyme, two allergens present in tomato fruit.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
