日本新近研發(fā)出一種基因編輯西紅柿，外觀和普通西紅柿沒(méi)有區(qū)別，但富含一種特殊的氨基酸，據(jù)說(shuō)可以讓人放松，還有助于降低血壓。目前這款西紅柿已獲準(zhǔn)上市銷售，售價(jià)為三公斤7500日元。

Sicilian Rouge High GABA is a special type of tomato designed to contain high levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an amino acid believed to aid relaxation and help lower blood pressure.

“高伽馬氨基丁酸西西里胭脂”是一種特殊的西紅柿，它含有大量的伽馬氨基丁酸，據(jù)稱，這種氨基酸可以讓人放松，并有助于降低血壓。

Tokyo-based startup Sanatech Seed Co. teamed up with scientists at the University of Tsukuba to develop a new variety of tomatoes using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. Named Sicilian Rouge High GABA, this new type of tomato contains five to six times the normal level of a type of amino acid called gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA. According to Japanese media, the company removed an inhibitory domain within the tomato’s genome to enable it to produce these high levels of GABA.

總部在東京的初創(chuàng)企業(yè)Sanatech Seed和筑波大學(xué)的科學(xué)家用CRISPR/Cas9基因編輯技術(shù)聯(lián)合研發(fā)出了這種名為“高伽馬氨基丁酸西西里胭脂”的新型西紅柿。這種新型西紅柿所含的伽馬氨基丁酸水平是普通西紅柿的五到六倍。據(jù)日媒報(bào)道，該公司移除了西紅柿基因組里的一個(gè)抑制域，從而使其能夠生成大量的高伽馬氨基丁酸。

According to Shimpei Takeshita, President of Sanatech Seed and Chief Innovation Officer of Pioneer EcoScience, the exclusive distributor of the tomato, the company was given permission to commercialize the genetically altered Sicilian Rouge High GABA variety last December, and contract farmers have been growing them ever since. Now, the tomatoes are ready to hit store shelves.

Sanatech Seed的總裁兼Pioneer EcoScience的首席創(chuàng)新官竹下慎平稱，公司于去年12月獲準(zhǔn)將基因編輯西紅柿“高伽馬氨基丁酸西西里胭脂”商業(yè)化，自那以后承包的農(nóng)戶就開(kāi)始種植這款西紅柿。現(xiàn)在，這款西紅柿即將上市銷售。Pioneer EcoScience是這款西紅柿的獨(dú)家經(jīng)銷商。

"At first we got mixed reactions to genome-edited foods, and we thought it would be difficult to bring them to market as they’re not fully understood by consumers,” Tatsuo Takeshita, chair of Sanatech Seed told NHK. “But the tomatoes earned a good reputation from those who took part in the cultivation trials.”

Sanatech Seed的董事長(zhǎng)竹下立夫告訴日本廣播協(xié)會(huì)說(shuō)：“一開(kāi)始人們對(duì)基因編輯食品褒貶不一，我們認(rèn)為將其推向市場(chǎng)會(huì)很難，因?yàn)橄M(fèi)者對(duì)基因編輯食品不夠了解。但是參與西紅柿栽培試驗(yàn)的人對(duì)這款西紅柿評(píng)價(jià)很好。”

A Japanese health ministry committee granted Sanatech Seed permission to commercialize the new tomato variety, provided notification was given, and the startup plans to ship each package of tomatoes with a sticker that says “improved using genome editing technology”.

日本厚生勞動(dòng)省的一個(gè)委員會(huì)準(zhǔn)許Sanatech Seed公司將這款新型西紅柿商業(yè)化，前提是告知消費(fèi)者這是一款什么樣的西紅柿。于是這家初創(chuàng)公司計(jì)劃在每個(gè)西紅柿外包裝貼上“經(jīng)基因編輯技術(shù)改良”的說(shuō)明條。

Unlike genetically modified foods, genome-edited plant varieties are considered just as safe as varieties improved using conventional methods because no outside gene is introduced during the process.

和轉(zhuǎn)基因食品不同，基因編輯植物被認(rèn)為和用傳統(tǒng)方法改良的新品種一樣安全，因?yàn)樵诨蚓庉嬤^(guò)程中沒(méi)有加入外來(lái)基因。

Sanatech Seed has already started accepting online orders for Sicilian Rouge High GABA tomatoes. A 3-kilogram box of tomatoes will reportedly cost 7,500 yen. That’s a lot of money for tomatoes…

Sanatech Seed公司已經(jīng)開(kāi)始接收訂購(gòu)“高伽馬氨基丁酸西西里胭脂”西紅柿的線上訂單。據(jù)稱，一箱三公斤重的西紅柿價(jià)格為7500日元（約合人民幣438元）。這對(duì)西紅柿而言可真夠貴的。

英文來(lái)源：Oddity Central

翻譯&編輯：丹妮