Luca Comai

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Luca Comai
EducationBachelor's in Agricultural Science (1976)
Master's in Plant Pathology (1978)
Ph.D. in Plant Pathology (1980)
Alma mater University of Bologna
Washington State University
University of California, Davis
Known forDevelopment of glyphosate resistant plants, created the TILLING protocol
AwardsDistinguished Research Award (2015)
Faculty Teaching Award (2017)
2017 Innovation Prize for Agricultural Technology (ASPB)
Scientific career
Fields Plant pathology
Plant biotechnology
Institutions Calgene
Washington State University
University of California, Davis
Website comailab.org

Luca Comai is an Italian plant biologist whose work has focused on trait discovery for improving agricultural crops and on developing protocols and systems for identifying new genes and mutations in plants. Through his work at Calgene, Comai was one of the first discoverers of the glyphosate resistance gene and is considered a pioneer in the field of plant biotechnology research.

Contents

His research since then has focused on developing the Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes (TILLING) protocol that allows for new mutations and traits to be quickly identified within a target plant species through genome and sequence analysis. He has received a number of research and teaching awards, along with being named a Fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In 2023, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. [1]

Education

Comai received his bachelor's degree in agricultural sciences from the University of Bologna in 1976 and his Master's degree in the field of plant pathology in 1978 from Washington State University. [2] He then went on to earn his Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of California, Davis and completed a postdoc at the same university. [3] His doctoral thesis was on the subject of how Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is produced in bacteria and how this genetic function was homologous to the plant hormone production of the same name in plants that is encoded in the genome as T-DNA from Agrobacterium. [4]

Career

Calgene researcher

Comai first applied for a teaching position at the University of California, Riverside in January 1981. [5] But when this position wasn't offered to him, he instead joined the biotech company Calgene in the latter half of 1981 during its initial opening period. [6] While he had been attempting to get support among the Riverside faculty for his application, he had been informed of the properties of glyphosate and its specific targeting of the EPSP synthase enzyme. He proposed to Calgene's science board that they try to develop a plant gene mutation that changed the shape of EPSP synthase so that glyphosate would be unable to bind to it. His suggestion was rejected due to glyphosate being a product produced by another company, but he decided to work on the gene mutation on his own time. [5] Using Salmonella , he used random mutagenesis and subsequent application of glyphosate to try and stumble across the EPSP synthase mutation he was seeking and he succeeded. [7]

In 1982, Comai presented his glyphosate tolerance mutation to a fellow scientist, Steve Rogers, who worked at Monsanto and demonstrated that he had made a superior form of the resistance gene than the one Monsanto had been working on. Though it was still not good enough for agricultural production and Comai continued his independent work. He published a paper in the journal Nature in October 1985 describing how he and his colleagues at Calgene had created glyphosate-resistant plants using the gene mutation Comai had found years earlier. [5] This outcompeting of Monsanto's flagship product created a strong sense of rivalry with Calgene and subsequent layoffs at Monsanto at the end of 1985. [5]

University of Washington and UC Davis professor

First becoming a professor at the University of Washington in 1990, Comai's lab focused on the development of improved agricultural genetic traits by using the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana to co-develop what was referred to as the TILLING protocol. [8] This system included developing gene models and inbred lines, including an expanded EcoTILLING protocol developed in 2004, to compare differences in these plant lines to the reference genome and isolate new mutations and traits for further research. [9] He would later lead the TILLING Core Service Facility at UC Davis that continued developing a genetic analysis platform called "TILLING-by-Sequencing" that would be used on not just Arabidopsis, but was expanded to also include Camelina, tomato, rice, and wheat. [10] An award sponsorship of $489,000 was given to Comai's lab in 2014 from a joint donation of three companies in order to sponsor the further use of TILLING in current tomato cultivar populations. [11]

Comai joined UC Davis in 2006 with his lab's research focusing on glyphosate resistance, functional genomics, and epigenetics, along with general mutational trait research. He is also well known for his work as a teacher of the "BIS 101" undergraduate genetics course and his use of whiteboard writing and his co-produced video series alongside the university. [3] A collaboration between Comai's lab and Kyoto University in 2014 on the genetic sex reproduction of the persimmon species Diospyros lotus found through investigating the genomes of several dozen male and female plants the specific genes involved in their sex determination. As these persimmons are among the few plants exhibiting dioecy, this discovery opened up agricultural opportunities for trait improvement and the research received significant media interest. [12] [13]

Awards and honors

Comai was named a Fellow of the (AAAS) in 2012. [14] The Distinguished Research Award was given to Comai in 2015 from the College of Biological Sciences at UC Davis thanks to his accomplishments in the TILLING protocol. [15] In 2016, Comai was awarded with a Institute Honorary Fellowship from the University of Bologna for his work on the genetic improvement of plants. [15] He was also given a Faculty Teaching Award from the College of Biological Sciences at UC Davis in 2017 for his innovations in teaching and his encouragement of high motivation among his students. [3] The 2017 "Innovation Prize for Agricultural Technology" from the American Society of Plant Biologists was presented to Comai for his work on TILLING protocols and plant trait development. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phenotype</span> Composite of the organisms observable characteristics or traits

In genetics, the phenotype is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological properties, its behavior, and the products of behavior. An organism's phenotype results from two basic factors: the expression of an organism's genetic code and the influence of environmental factors. Both factors may interact, further affecting the phenotype. When two or more clearly different phenotypes exist in the same population of a species, the species is called polymorphic. A well-documented example of polymorphism is Labrador Retriever coloring; while the coat color depends on many genes, it is clearly seen in the environment as yellow, black, and brown. Richard Dawkins in 1978 and then again in his 1982 book The Extended Phenotype suggested that one can regard bird nests and other built structures such as caddisfly larva cases and beaver dams as "extended phenotypes".

The Monsanto Company was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best-known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed in the 1970s. Later, the company became a major producer of genetically engineered crops. In 2018, the company ranked 199th on the Fortune 500 of the largest United States corporations by revenue.

Flavr Savr, a genetically modified tomato, was the first commercially grown genetically engineered food to be granted a license for human consumption. It was developed by the Californian company Calgene in the 1980s. The tomato has an improved shelf-life, increased fungal resistance and a slightly increased viscosity compared to its non-modified counterpart. It was meant to be harvested ripe for increased flavor for long-distance shipping. The Flavr Savr contains two genes added by Calgene; a reversed antisense polygalacturonase gene which inhibits the production of a rotting enzyme and a gene responsible for the creation of APH(3')II, which confers resistance to certain aminoglycoside antibiotics including kanamycin and neomycin. On May 18, 1994, the FDA completed its evaluation of the Flavr Savr tomato and the use of APH(3')II, concluding that the tomato "is as safe as tomatoes bred by conventional means" and "that the use of aminoglycoside 3'-phosphotransferase II is safe for use as a processing aid in the development of new varieties of tomato, rapeseed oil, and cotton intended for food use." It was first sold in 1994, and was only available for a few years before production ceased in 1997. Calgene made history, but mounting costs prevented the company from becoming profitable, and it was eventually acquired by Monsanto Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glyphosate</span> Systemic herbicide and crop desiccant

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide and crop desiccant. It is an organophosphorus compound, specifically a phosphonate, which acts by inhibiting the plant enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSP). It is used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses that compete with crops. Its herbicidal effectiveness was discovered by Monsanto chemist John E. Franz in 1970. Monsanto brought it to market for agricultural use in 1974 under the trade name Roundup. Monsanto's last commercially relevant United States patent expired in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boliviana negra</span>

Boliviana negra, also known as supercoca or la millionaria, is a form of coca that is purportedly resistant to the herbicide glyphosate. The coca plant is the source of the potentially addictive stimulant cocaine, a prescription drug and one of the most widely consumed illegal drugs in the world and the source of large amounts of money to various criminal organizations. Glyphosate is a key ingredient in the multibillion-dollar aerial coca eradication campaign undertaken by the government of Colombia with U.S. financial and military backing known as Plan Colombia.

TILLING is a method in molecular biology that allows directed identification of mutations in a specific gene. TILLING was introduced in 2000, using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and expanded on into other uses and methodologies by a small group of scientists including Luca Comai. TILLING has since been used as a reverse genetics method in other organisms such as zebrafish, maize, wheat, rice, soybean, tomato and lettuce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genetically modified crops</span> Plants used in agriculture

Genetically modified crops are plants used in agriculture, the DNA of which has been modified using genetic engineering methods. Plant genomes can be engineered by physical methods or by use of Agrobacterium for the delivery of sequences hosted in T-DNA binary vectors. In most cases, the aim is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the species. Examples in food crops include resistance to certain pests, diseases, environmental conditions, reduction of spoilage, resistance to chemical treatments, or improving the nutrient profile of the crop. Examples in non-food crops include production of pharmaceutical agents, biofuels, and other industrially useful goods, as well as for bioremediation.

Since the advent of genetic engineering in the 1970s, concerns have been raised about the dangers of the technology. Laws, regulations, and treaties were created in the years following to contain genetically modified organisms and prevent their escape. Nevertheless, there are several examples of failure to keep GM crops separate from conventional ones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genetically modified food controversies</span> Controversies over GMO food

Genetically modified food controversies are disputes over the use of foods and other goods derived from genetically modified crops instead of conventional crops, and other uses of genetic engineering in food production. The disputes involve consumers, farmers, biotechnology companies, governmental regulators, non-governmental organizations, and scientists. The key areas of controversy related to genetically modified food are whether such food should be labeled, the role of government regulators, the objectivity of scientific research and publication, the effect of genetically modified crops on health and the environment, the effect on pesticide resistance, the impact of such crops for farmers, and the role of the crops in feeding the world population. In addition, products derived from GMO organisms play a role in the production of ethanol fuels and pharmaceuticals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intensive crop farming</span> Modern form of farming

Intensive crop farming is a modern industrialized form of crop farming. Intensive crop farming's methods include innovation in agricultural machinery, farming methods, genetic engineering technology, techniques for achieving economies of scale in production, the creation of new markets for consumption, patent protection of genetic information, and global trade. These methods are widespread in developed nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genetic pollution</span> Problematic gene flow into wild populations

Genetic pollution is a term for uncontrolled gene flow into wild populations. It is defined as "the dispersal of contaminated altered genes from genetically engineered organisms to natural organisms, esp. by cross-pollination", but has come to be used in some broader ways. It is related to the population genetics concept of gene flow, and genetic rescue, which is genetic material intentionally introduced to increase the fitness of a population. It is called genetic pollution when it negatively impacts the fitness of a population, such as through outbreeding depression and the introduction of unwanted phenotypes which can lead to extinction.

Roundup Ready is the Monsanto trademark for its patented line of genetically modified crop seeds that are resistant to its glyphosate-based herbicide, Roundup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plant genetics</span> Study of genes and heredity in plants

Plant genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity specifically in plants. It is generally considered a field of biology and botany, but intersects frequently with many other life sciences and is strongly linked with the study of information systems. Plant genetics is similar in many ways to animal genetics but differs in a few key areas.

Genetically modified wheat is wheat that has been genetically engineered by the direct manipulation of its genome using biotechnology. As of 2020, no GM wheat is grown commercially, although many field tests have been conducted, with one wheat variety, Bioceres HB4 Wheat, obtaining regulatory approval from the Argentinean government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genetically modified soybean</span> Soybean that has had DNA introduced into it using genetic engineering techniques

A genetically modified soybean is a soybean that has had DNA introduced into it using genetic engineering techniques. In 1996, the first genetically modified soybean was introduced to the U.S. by Monsanto. In 2014, 90.7 million hectares of GM soybeans were planted worldwide, making up 82% of the total soybeans cultivation area.

Genetically modified canola is a genetically modified crop. The first strain, Roundup Ready canola, was developed by Monsanto for tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the commonly used herbicide Roundup.

MON 87705 is a genetically engineered variety of glyphosate-resistant low-linolenic, high-oleic soybeans produced by Monsanto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EPSP synthase</span> Enzyme produced by plants and microorganisms

5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase is an enzyme produced by plants and microorganisms. EPSPS catalyzes the chemical reaction:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Folta</span> American scientist & professor of the horticultural sciences

Kevin M. Folta is a professor of the horticultural sciences department at the University of Florida. From 2007 to 2010 he helped lead the project to sequence the strawberry genome, and continues to research photomorphogenesis in plants and compounds responsible for flavor in strawberries. Folta has been active as a science communicator since 2002, especially relating to biotechnology. He has faced controversy over what his critics say are his industry connections. In 2017 he was elected as a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Van Eenennaam</span> American biologist

Alison L. Van Eenennaam is a Cooperative Extension Specialist in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis and runs the Animal Genomics and Biotechnology Laboratory. She has served on national committees such as the USDA National Advisory Committee on Biotechnology in the 21st Century (AC21) and was awarded the 2014 Borlaug CAST Communication Award. Van Eenennaam writes the Biobeef Blog.

References

  1. ↑ "2023 NAS Election".
  2. ↑ "Luca Comai". ORCID . 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Slipher, David (17 August 2017). "Luca Comai and Michele Igo Receive College of Biological Sciences Faculty Teaching Award". College of Biological Sciences. University of California, Davis . Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Speakers: Luca Comai". 28th North American Agricultural Biotechnology Council Conference. Washington State University. 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Charles, Dan (4 August 2008). Lords Of The Harvest: Biotech, Big Money, And The Future Of Food. Basic Books. ISBN   9780786723768.
  6. ↑ Marx, Jean L., ed. (16 March 1989). A Revolution in Biotechnology. Cambridge University Press. p. 139. ISBN   9780521327497.
  7. ↑ Forest Products Research Conference, 1986: Matching Utilization Research with the Needs of Timber Managers : October 21-23, 1986, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI. Forest Products Laboratory. 1987. p. 43.
  8. ↑ Henikoff S (July 2015). "The Genetic Map Enters Its Second Century". Genetics . 200 (3): 671–674. doi:10.1534/genetics.115.178434. PMC   4512531 . PMID   26170439 . Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  9. ↑ Kriz, Alan L.; Larkins, Brian A., eds. (14 November 2008). Molecular Genetic Approaches to Maize Improvement. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 167. ISBN   9783540689225.
  10. ↑ "TILLING and Associated Technologies" (PDF). Journal of Integrative Plant Biology . 52 (11): 1027–1030. 2010. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7909.2010.00999.x. PMID   20977660 . Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  11. ↑ "Engaging the Region's Seed Industry Cluster" (PDF). Office of Research. University of California, Davis. 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  12. ↑ LaFlamme B (24 November 2014). "Persimmon sex determination". Nature . 46 (12): 1257. doi:10.1038/ng.3161. S2CID   45018093 . Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  13. ↑ Bhanoo, Sindya N. (3 November 2014). "What Determines the Sex of a Persimmon". The New York Times . Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  14. ↑ "2012 AAAS Fellows" (PDF). aaas.org. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  15. 1 2 "The future of agriculture - Lecture by Luca Comai, Department of Plant Biology and Genome Center, UC Davis". Instituto Di Studi Avanzati. University of Bologna. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  16. ↑ Kronfeld, Shoshana (28 March 2017). "Announcing the 2017 ASPB Award Winners". Plant Science Today. American Society of Plant Biologists . Retrieved 4 August 2021.
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