Bayer CropScience, Precision BioSciences Insert Gene into Cotton

Posted by |4 October 2011

Bayer CropScience AG and Precision BioSciences Inc. have successfully inserted a gene into a specific desired location in cotton using Precision’s Directed Nuclease Editor (DNE) technology, according to a press release.

Scientists at Bayer CropScience used an enzyme known as a DNE engineered meganuclease produced by Precision to target the insertion of a transgene near an existing transgene in a plant line. This approach could reduce the time required to produce a new plant characteristic and removes complexities associated with current product development methods, according to the companies. This is the first known report of a site-specific insertion using an engineered nuclease in cotton.

Precision’s DNE technology, which is based on the production of DNA-cleaving enzymes called engineered meganucleases, enables crop researchers at Bayer to delete, insert, or otherwise modify genes at user-defined sites within plant genomes. By facilitating the direct introduction of value adding traits into plant species, the technology can streamline product development and reduce the time it takes to get a product ready for the market, according to the release.

“This technology milestone is a world first and delivers enormous capacity for Bayer to precisely target and more efficiently deliver significant benefits in key crops to farmers globally. And this is just the beginning,” said Dr Johan Botterman, head of bioScience product research at Bayer CropScience.

Precision BioSciences and Bayer CropScience are developing additional DNE-engineered meganucleases for use across the company’s crop platforms.