Kochi firm develops yellow tomato

KOCHI: A group of scientists at AgriGenome Labs, Kochi, has successfully demonstrated the application of the CRISPR Cas9 technology in plants.  The result was developing a tomato that is yellow in colour which contains higher levels of pro-lycopene, the precursor to anti-oxidant lycopene.

The team achieved this by editing the gene that codes for CRTISO, an enzyme responsible for making the red pigment lycopene (all trans-lycopene). The research led by Dr George Thomas and Dr Boney Kuriakose was held in collaboration with SciGenom Research Foundation and SciGenom Labs.

“The molecular editing process, namely CRISPR Cas9 technology, applied for targeted editing in this research is an invention that led to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier in 2020,” said Dr George, COO of AgriGenome Labs. 

K Lakshmi Jayaraj, Nitu Thulasidharan,  Aju Antony,  Moni John, Rehna Augustine, Navajeet Chakravarthy,  Smitha Sukumaran,  M Uma Maheswari, Sweety Abraham, George Thomas, V B Reddy Lachagari, Somasekar Seshagiri and Subhash Narayanan participated in the research.