Researchers have developed a genetically customized chicken egg, called the OVM-knockout, which does not have the ovomucoid protein that triggers egg white allergies, using genome-editing tools called TALENs. Initial safety assessments of these eggs reveal no off-target anomalies in protein-coding areas and no proof of the allergy-causing protein, paving the method for additional research study and possible use in food and vaccines for people with egg allergic reactions.
Researchers have effectively crafted a chicken egg that might possibly be safe for usage by people with egg white allergic reactions. Allergies to chicken eggs are among the most common allergies in kids. While the bulk of children tend to outgrow this allergic reaction by the age of 16, some continue to be allergic to eggs into adulthood. Symptoms of egg white allergies vary from vomiting and stomach cramps to breathing problems, hives, and swelling. This allergy can also prevent some individuals from getting particular influenza vaccinations.
Leveraging genome editing technology, the scientists had the ability to produce an egg devoid of the protein responsible for activating egg white allergic reactions. This protein, known as ovomucoid, comprises about 11% of all protein found in egg whites.
Research detailing the food security profile of this customized egg, called the OVM-knockout, was detailed in a paper published in Food and Chemical Toxicology in April 2023.
Researchers have actually successfully engineered a chicken egg that might possibly be safe for consumption by people with egg white allergic reactions. In order to develop the OVM-knockout eggs, researchers needed to identify and get rid of the ovomucoid protein in the egg whites. The eggs produced from this strategy were then checked to make sure there was no ovomucoid protein, mutant ovomucoid protein, or other off-target impacts.
Anti-ovomucoid and anti-mutant ovomucoid antibodies were utilized to discover any traces of the protein, however there was no evidence of ovomucoid in the eggs. At this time, scientists have determined that OVM-knockout eggs are less allergenic than standard eggs and can be securely utilized in heat-processed foods that clients with egg allergies can consume.
” To utilize OVM-knockout chicken eggs as food, it is essential to examine their safety as food. In this study, we examined the presence or lack of mutant protein expression, vector series insertion, and off-target impacts in chickens knocked out with OVM by platinum transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs),” stated Ryo Ezaki, an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life at Hiroshima University in Hiroshima, Japan.
TALENs are constraint enzymes that recognize particular DNA series and break or cut them.
Researchers from Hiroshima University produced OVM knocked out chickens utilizing genome editing tools. (Colored chickens are knockout chickens.) Credit: Ezaki et al. 2023, Food and Chemical Toxicology
In order to establish the OVM-knockout eggs, scientists needed to identify and remove the ovomucoid protein in the egg whites. TALENs were crafted to target a piece of RNA called exon 1, which codes for particular proteins. The eggs produced from this method were then evaluated to ensure there was no ovomucoid protein, mutant ovomucoid protein, or other off-target effects.
The eggs had actually the wanted frameshift anomaly, which is an anomaly developed by inserting or deleting nucleotide bases in a gene, and none of them expressed mature ovomucoid proteins. Anti-ovomucoid and anti-mutant ovomucoid antibodies were utilized to detect any traces of the protein, but there was no evidence of ovomucoid in the eggs. This suggests that mutant ovomucoids might not develop brand-new allergens. This is a crucial action in identifying the safety profile of the eggs.
Other gene editing tools, such as CRISPR, tend to have off-target mutagenesis impacts. This implies that new mutations are prompted by the gene editing procedure. Nevertheless, whole genome sequencing of the modified egg whites revealed anomalies, which were potentially off-target results, were not localized to the protein-coding regions.
” The eggs laid by homozygous OVM-knockout hens revealed no apparent problems. The albumen included neither the fully grown OVM nor the OVM-truncated version,” said Ezaki. “The potential TALEN-induced off-target effects in OVM-knockout chickens were localized in the intergenic and intron areas. Plasmid vectors used for genome editing were just transiently present and did not incorporate into the genome of edited chickens. These outcomes show the significance of security evaluations and expose that the eggs laid by this OVM knockout chicken fix the allergic reaction problem in food and vaccines.”
Scientists will need to carry out additional immunological and clinical research studies to identify the security of the OVM-knockout eggs. At this time, scientists have actually figured out that OVM-knockout eggs are less allergenic than basic eggs and can be safely utilized in heat-processed foods that patients with egg allergic reactions can eat.
” The next phase of research will be to assess the physical homes and processing suitability of OVM-knockout eggs, and to confirm their effectiveness through scientific trials,” said Ezaki. “We will continue to carry out additional research towards the useful application of allergy-reduced eggs.”
Referral: “Transcription activator-like effector nuclease-mediated removal securely gets rid of the major egg irritant ovomucoid in chickens” by Ryo Ezaki, Tetsushi Sakuma, Daisuke Kodama, Ryou Sasahara, Taichi Shiraogawa, Kennosuke Ichikawa, Mei Matsuzaki, Akihiro Handa, Takashi Yamamoto, and Hiroyuki Horiuchi, 6 March 2023, Food and Chemical Toxicology.DOI: 10.1016/ j.fct.2023.113703.
The study was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Japan Science and Technology Agency.
