中国转基因大豆的产业化策略

大豆是事关人民生活和经济社会发展的重要农产品之一,提高大豆生产水平和增加自给能力,是中国农业生产必须解决的重大问题。由于中国耕地资源不足的限制,科技创新是提升大豆生产能力的唯一出路。转基因育种是推动大豆生产发展的颠覆性技术,对美国、巴西和阿根廷等世界主产国大豆产业的发展发挥了重要作用。经过20多年的科技创新,中国转基因耐除草剂和抗虫育种技术已经成熟,这些产品的产业化种植可显著降低大豆生产成本和提升单产水平。基于中国转基因大豆技术发展进度和大豆生产的国情特点,我们提出了采用如下策略科学有序推进产业化工作。一是,在产品应用时间上,按照单一耐草甘膦除草剂、多个基因耐草甘膦和草铵膦等多种除草剂,以及耐除草剂与抗虫等复合性状等产品,依次推进相关种子的产业化;二是,在产品区域布局上,按照靶标杂草和害虫的地理分布特点顶层设计各种耐除草剂和抗虫大豆产品的种植区域;三是,在生物安全管理上,研发应用抗性杂草和害虫种群监测与治理技术,延长转基因产品的使用寿命。同时,还要加强野生大豆资源的保护工作,降低转基因大豆基因漂移对野生大豆生物多样性的影响。     

美国白蛾在我国发生的世代变化分析

美国白蛾是原产于北美地区的世界性植物检疫性害虫,自1979年发现入侵我国以来,严重威胁我国的生态安全。近年来,随着全球气候变暖,美国白蛾疫情不断南扩,其化性在一些地区出现新的变化。本文根据1979—2021年该虫发生扩散情况和各地区监测普查结果,结合部分地区温度变化数据,全面分析了美国白蛾入侵我国以来的发生扩散过程,对比分析了各地区发生世代数及变化情况,阐明部分地区世代数增加的原因。针对美国白蛾世代数演变规律和反复暴发成灾的情况,提出了当前应关注的几个重点问题:世代数增加引发的扩张速率显著上升;扩张潜力与沿长江地区扩散趋势减缓关系;暴发成灾时有发生与本土化趋势不明显。鉴于当前外来入侵物种管理要求提高及多年来美国白蛾防控工作中暴露的一些问题,提出要在守护国家生物安全底线前提下制定防治策略、在统筹生物多样性保护下实现控制目标、在做好应急准备下摸清暴发成灾规律、在强化疫情检疫管理中提高疫情认定效率等对策。     

The human–primate interface in the New Normal: Challenges and opportunities for primatologists in the COVID-19 era and beyond

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in late 2019 and human responses to the resulting COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 have rapidly changed many aspects of human behavior, including our interactions with wildlife. In this commentary, we identify challenges and opportunities at human–primate interfaces in light of COVID-19, focusing on examples from Asia, and make recommendations for researchers working with wild primates to reduce zoonosis risk and leverage research opportunities. First, we briefly review the evidence for zoonotic origins of SARS-CoV-2 and discuss risks of zoonosis at the human–primate interface. We then identify challenges that the pandemic has caused for primates, including reduced nutrition, increased intraspecific competition, and increased poaching risk, as well as challenges facing primatologists, including lost research opportunities. Subsequently, we highlight opportunities arising from pandemic-related lockdowns and public health messaging, including opportunities to reduce the intensity of problematic human–primate interfaces, opportunities to reduce the risk of zoonosis between humans and primates, opportunities to reduce legal and illegal trade in primates, new opportunities for research on human–primate interfaces, and opportunities for community education. Finally, we recommend specific actions that primatologists should take to reduce contact and aggression between humans and primates, to reduce demand for primates as pets, to reduce risks of zoonosis in the context of field research, and to improve understanding of human–primate interfaces. Reducing the risk of zoonosis and promoting the well-being of humans and primates at our interfaces will require substantial changes from “business as usual.” We encourage primatologists to help lead the way.     

Human serum albumin from recombinant DNA technology: Challenges and strategies

Background

As the most abundant protein in the blood, human serum albumin (HSA) plays an important role in maintaining plasma oncotic pressure and fluid balance between the body's compartments. HSA is thus widely used in the clinic to treat diseases. However, the shortage of and safety issues arising from using plasma HSA (pHSA) underscore the importance of recombinant HSA (rHSA) as a promising substitute for pHSA.

Scope of review

Here, we review the production of rHSA, from expression to downstream processing, and highlight the scalability and cost-effectiveness of the two main expression platforms. We also discuss the biosafety of commercially available pharmaceutical rHSA with respect to impurities and contaminants, followed by an analysis of recent progress in preclinical and clinical trials. We emphasise the challenges of producing pharmaceutical-grade rHSA.

Major conclusions

rHSA can be highly expressed in various hosts and seems to be identical to pHSA. rHSA generated from yeast appears to be as efficient and safe as pHSA in a series of preclinical and clinical trials, whereas rHSA from rice seeds exhibits great potential for more cost-effective production. Cost-effective products with no adverse effects will likely play a vital role in future human therapeutics.

General significance

Our understanding of pharmaceutical-grade rHSA production has improved with respect to expression hosts, biochemical properties, downstream processing, and the detection and removal of impurities. However, due to the large dosages required for clinical applications, the production of sufficient quantities of rHSA still presents challenges. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Serum Albumin.     

THE PLACE OF GOD IN SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY: HOW WILL THE CATHOLIC CHURCH RESPOND?

Some religious believers may see synthetic biology as usurping God's creative role. The Catholic Church has yet to issue a formal teaching on the field (though it has issued some informal statements in response to Craig Venter's development of a 'synthetic' cell). In this paper I examine the likely reaction of the Catholic Magisterium to synthetic biology in its entirety. I begin by examining the Church's teaching role, from its own viewpoint, to set the necessary backround and context for the discussion that follows. I then describe the Church's attitude to science, and particularly to biotechnology. From this I derive a likely Catholic theology of synthetic biology. The Church's teachings on scientific and biotech research show that it is likely to have a generally positive disposition to synbio, if it and its products can be acceptably safe. Proper evaluation of, and protection against, risk will be a significant factor in determining the morality of the research. If the risks can be minimized through regulation or other means, then the Church is likely to be supportive. The Church will also critique the social and legal environment in which the research is done, evaluating issues such as the patenting of scientific discoveries and of life.     

海洋外来物种入侵生态学研究

海洋外来物种入侵已成为最为严重的全球性环境问题之一。海洋生态系统类型多样、环境复杂,其生物入侵的监测、控制与管理难度相对较大。我国对陆地外来生物的入侵已开展了较为深入的研究,但对于海洋外来生物的入侵研究仍处于起步阶段,对其入侵监测、入侵机制、入侵危害的程度以及防治等问题缺乏基础数据。本文在分析国内外海洋外来生物入侵现状的基础上,概述其入侵生态学研究形势及相关成果,包括海洋外来物种的入侵途径、入侵过程、入侵生态效应以及全球变化对入侵的影响等。海洋外来生物的入侵可能对海洋生态系统造成直接或间接的影响,如种间竞争破坏生态环境、与土著种杂交造成遗传污染、病原生物及有毒藻类导致海洋生态灾害加剧等。此外,从政策和法规、入侵风险评估、监测和公共宣传教育、生物信息系统和有效管理机制等方面提出对我国海洋外来物种入侵的防治策略。本研究为我国海洋外来物种的进一步研究提供了参考。     

转基因生物技术育种: 机遇还是挑战？

转基因生物技术是一项全新的育种技术, 也是当前国际上进展最快、竞争最激烈的研究领域之一。自20世纪90年代生物技术育种诞生以来, 转基因作物的商品化应用及由此引发的一系列问题就引起公众的广泛关注。该文就世界上转基因生物技术育种及产业化现状、几个主要转基因作物安全性案例及最终结果, 以及如何科学推进我国转基因作物的产业化等提出了自己的思考, 以期帮助公众科学地理解和面对转基因生物技术所带来的育种技术上的革命。     

Experts against precaution: analyzing the process of biosafety regulation in Iran

The process of preparing and enacting a biosafety law in Iran lasted more than a decade. This paper examines the process of biosafety policy-making in Iran in relation to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB) and to domestic Iranian factors. While some scholars argued that the CPB would be influential in developing countries, our findings indicate that it was not particularly important in Iranian biosafety legislation. This paper outlines the internal Iranian political processes, which initially envisaged a very precautionary approach, but which concluded with a biosafety law designed to promote the adoption of these technologies. Reference will be made to the changing influence of expert biotechnologists on policy-making. The dominance of domestic policy considerations, compared to CPB provisions, implies that signing the CPB does not imply that national regimes will converge on a common model, based on the text of the CPB.