A team of scientists has discovered an unusual trick for growing bigger, more abundant crops: inserting a human gene related to obesity and fat mass into plants.
The union of potatoes with the human gene that codes for a fat regulatory protein called FTO alters the genetic code to rapidly mass-produce proteins. The result? Potatoes (and crops) 50% larger. The team says this work could help tackle world hunger, without increasing the impact on the climate.
“It was really a bold and bizarre idea,” says Chuan He, a chemist at the University of Chicago and co-author of the study published in Nature Biotechnology . “To be honest, we also expected some catastrophic effects.”
Invasive gene
Chuan He explains that potatoes do not have a protein comparable to FTO, and that growth is maintained and regulated by a wide variety of genes. So when FTO is added to potatoes there is no genetic system in place to keep it under control.
Enter and there are no limits to its growth. It's a bomb.
Chuan He, University of Chicago
The surprise of the scientists, however, was positive. On the verge of suspicion, I mean. They expected dead potatoes, and instead ended up with much larger plants: they are allowed to hope, but now is the time to verify that there are no anomalies.
“Human” potatoes: it's just the beginning
For now, the research is too early to expect these genetically engineered potatoes to hit the shelves of our grocery stores soon. And, by the way, I wouldn't buy them. However, the team will conduct various safety and replication studies to ensure that their yield is not just an aberration. For now, they're encouraged by what they've found so far.
“We think this is a great strategy for designing our crops,” they say.
