When evolution and biotechnology collide, where do we go?

Since 2012, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology has triggered genetic engineering changes. This technique relies on an enzyme from bacterial cells, Cas9. Its mechanism of action is to cut the biological storage system (ie DNA) of a creature at a predetermined location. It creates a gap in the DNA. Then, people can insert a new sequence there, such as a gene from another creature.

Such a simple and inexpensive technology makes it easier to create genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Even more interesting is the insertion of the gene encoding the enzyme Cas9 into the genome of the cell such that it can perform this cleavage-insertion process by itself. This technology, called "gene drive," is capable of spreading new genes throughout the population over several generations. Once these introduced genes gain a foothold in this group, people may call them GMOs. One of the most promising applications will be to eradicate mosquitoes by spreading mutations that cause infertility, but as explained in a paper published in the Nature Journal in 2017 [1], this application can be thwarted by evolution itself.

When evolution and biotechnology collide, where do we go?

Genomic editing of Aedes aegypti using CRISPR-Cas9, picture from cell.com

Arms race with bacteria

This is not the first time that evolution itself makes life difficult to accept genetic engineering and biotechnology. One of the most important revolutions in human health is the industrial production of antibiotics. After the Second World War, Western countries not only used them to fight human diseases, but also used them to promote agricultural production and industrialization of breeding. A basic rule of biological development is that species can only consume a limited amount of food and must face a balance between the three main biological functions - growth, reproduction and survival. This situation is also suitable for cultivating species, but this existing balance may not be suitable for industrial production. Allocating more resources to one function inevitably leads to performance degradation of the other two functions.

Farmers have long noted that castrated burdocks will make them yak that grow faster and become fatter. Similarly, the use of antibiotics reduces immune system stimuli and allows breeders to choose animals that grow rapidly [2] but are less resistant [3]. By combining industrial breeding with individuals that are dependent on high-density genes, the large-scale use of antibiotics ensures that they are protected from disease. In France, 40% of the antibiotics produced are consumed by animals [4]. By combining with human consumption, bacteria suffer from a tremendous selective pressure to survive under antibiotics. Therefore, many strains produce antibiotic resistance. Therefore, the emergence of multidrug-resistant infectious bacterial strains is a major problem facing public health policy [4].

Homogeneous vulnerability

A similar situation was observed in agriculture. Increased mechanization and specialization can transform the mixed-cultivation windbreak forest terrain into an endless single-cropped field. The biomass of some plant species with poor genetic diversity is good for pathogens and pests: if one plant is infected, the next plant may be weak. In addition, the crops screened have higher yields with the help of a large amount of fertilizers and pesticides. Therefore, these new plant varieties are sensitive plants that are less competitive than weeds. Industrial agricultural production is supported by genetically modified organisms, particularly in North and South America. Crops that produce toxins that kill caterpillars or that are resistant to insecticides such as glyphosate only work within a few years. Like bacteria, target pests and weeds evolve resistance within a decade or two [5].

Natural adaptability

Similarly, using this new CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology to modify or eliminate wild populations does not last long, and it can also disrupt ecosystems. Larger target populations, which have shorter life cycles and heavier selective pressures, result in a large adaptive advantage for resistant mutants that rapidly spread in this population. Ecosystems are the result of billions of years of evolution of complex networks of interacting species, so developing disease or pest management techniques without failing to evolve will certainly fail in the long run.

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