Scientists from the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and the University of the Basque Country in Spain demonstrate the potential ofย gene editingย in developingย wheatย with low gluten content usingย CRISPR-Cas9ย technology. Their findings mark a significant breakthrough in producing gluten-free wheat in the market.
Wheat is one of the most widely cultivated crops and serves as a staple food for millions of people. A key component of wheat is gluten, a complex group of proteins that includes the ฮฑ/ฮฒ-, ฮณ-, and ฯ-gliadins. While gluten is harmless for most people, gluten can cause health issues for individuals with Celiac Disease (CD), Non-Celiac Wheat Sensitivity (NCWS), and IgE-mediated food allergies which may require gluten-free foods in their diet.
In this study, the researchers take a step forward in producing gluten-free wheat by targeting theย genesย encoding for the ฮณ- and ฯ-gliadins in wheat. The results of the study showed that the mutations were inherited by the offspring and the gluten content was reduced by up to 97.7%. When crossed with other CRISPR lines with reduced ฮฑ-gliadins, these lines produced very low to no gluten content. In the future, the researchers aim to perform stimulation assays with peripheral blood mononuclear cells to gain insights into the immunogenic response in CD and NCWS patients.
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For more information, read the study from theย Journal of Experimental Botany.
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