Zoe is a scientist on the Delivery Technology team at Pairwise, where she works on developing novel methods to deliver gene editing reagents to plants to forward Pairwise's mission of making healthier and tastier fruits and vegetables. She received her PhD in Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Interactions from Cornell University in 2021.
Elimination of Pungency in Allotetraploid Brassica Juncea Through Gene Editing of the Multicopy Myrosinase Gene Family
Zoe Dubrow
Pairwise, 110 TW Alexander, Durham NC 27703, USA
We identified a novel opportunity to enhance the availability of nutritious, fresh leafy greens for human consumption. Here, we demonstrated the efficacy of disarming the 'wasabi-like' reaction in reducing pungency upon the mastication of fresh tissue-- a major source of unpleasant flavor and odor in leafy Brassica. Using gene-specific mutagenesis via CRISPR-Cas12a, we created knockouts of 17 functional copies of the type-I myrosinase multigene family in tetraploid Brassica juncea . Our greenhouse and field trials demonstrated, via sensory and biochemical analyses, a stable reduction in pungency in edited plants across multiple environments. Collectively, these efforts provided a compelling path toward boosting human consumption of nutrient-dense, fresh, leafy green vegetables. Data from consumers who tried these salads was overwhelmingly positive.