We have RNA and methylation sequencing ongoing from samples before and after silver nitrate treatment. Should pinpoint the genes involved in the process. Likely a methylation or RNA based assay that will one day predict this.
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What do you think of Robert Connell Clarke arguing for the 3 species position, sativa, indica, and ruderalis, and 7 subspecies?
I know as the entire phylogenetic tree of life is getting redefined with sequencing and that we are finding all types of surprising results not noticed through normal taxonomy.
Any interesting surprises and any significant genetic differences that at least allude to some of the previous rationale for classification?
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@kevin_mckernan Thank you so much for being here today!
Is it presently possible to āgene editā cannabis plants to achieve desired phenotypes (terpene expression, cannabinoid content, etc.)? Is anyone doing that right now, or interested in doing it?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
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I think its an arbitrary argument. Id prefer to use DNA to classify things as life is damn complicated and doesnāt fit into our preconceived boxes. Just take a look at the Spirochetes in Lyme disease. Published this week that some of these microbes hold 40 different plasmids. Kinda screws up the taxonomy debate and lyme disease detection. We already see expressed Mitoviruses in Jamaican Lion. These are viruses that infect the Mitochondria and they may not be in every line and there is evidence of nuclear transfer of genes. A good part of the terpene pathway is in the chloroplast. This is a cyanobacteria genome acquisition and we see 10 different haplogroups on JL. Likely all replication errors from an original genome but still bloody complicated. If your species definition has to do with geographically isolated landraces than RCC is probably the expert on that. Some people like to classify species as anything that can cross as being within the same species and that kind makes all Cannabis one species. Once CRISPR goes wild on this moving genes around, the definitions will get even hazier.
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The most logical classification today is WLD and NLD and WLH and NLH, they can be Drug varieties and be Wide or Narrow Leaf or Hemp varieties and be Wide or Narrow leaves that coupled with flowering and maturation dates and Chemotype data for Cannabinoids and terpenes etc gives a lot of info.
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Yes. Some of this will be shown at CannMed.
Trait Biosciences has put human p450 Cytochrome genes into cannabis to make the plant metabolize the cannabinoids into water soluble form. Others are GMOāing the plant to remove THCA to make hemp that always passes the DEA 0.3% limit. Ebbu has made cannabis that expresses trichomes in Veg state so they just hedge trim and extract like a lawn. No repotting. Its happening and most patents describe agrobacterium transformation.
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I agree, classical taxonomy can only go so far, after all gliding marsupials look a whole lot like gliding squirrels, but are far separated on the tree of life.
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I understand thats the current visual classification system but the width of the leaf is about as arbitrary as human eye color. We donāt see these phenotypic traits as very informative when compared to the genetics. Likely a few SNPs that govern it and they probably are not in linkage with any particularly interesting chemotypic genes anymore. They may have one day been associated with Myrcene production but I think that chemotype has been bred into other leaf widths now.
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That is ok for Cannabinoid extractions but I smoke resin heads only and I suspect the Ebbu resin sucks. I understand why they want to make it like harvesting tea leaves, but is that for quality or quantity?
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Now is when the Heady Toppers will emerge from the Bud-Lite:)
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Some people like Bud-Lite,
Not me I do not drink alcoholā¦
Or use CBD everā¦
CBD delays onset with THC,
Reduces the peak experiences with THC,
And make the reduced effects last longerā¦
Not for meā¦
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CLARIFICATION:
Addmittedly, we had to look up Heady Toppers in the office. Heady Toppers is a brewery in Vermont. Here is a link to their site:
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Their Focal Banger goes great with CBD:)
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Sounds like a fun pairing.
I hear their Alena IPA pairs nicely with an OG Kush 
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@kevin_mckernan: where do you see the cannabis industry in the next five years here in the U.S? How about globally? Where will Medicinal Genomics, CannMedd, and Kannapedia fit into the evolving mix?
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This is incredible!
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We hope Kannapedia.net turns into a linked in for growers to find cuts they want to cross with. We hope it also becomes a discovery tool for growers to genome browse. Hopefully in 5 years it is federally legal and we can share material over state lines and perform more RNA-Seq experiments to really understand yield and growth promoters and microbiome impacts on yield. I suspect we will see significant genome modification in the next 5 years that will bring out the flavonoids, Edestin genes, antocyanins and a host other under appreciated compounds in the plant. I bet we will even see other anti-cancer compounds cloned into the plant as its a great production host.
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I love that! It is very true!
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As far as I know flavonoids are deactivated by smoking or Vaping, they certainly may be important for oral consumers of Cannabis products but for smokers I do not think so, it is the terpenes that have the power to modulate effects and for a few terpenes potentiate THC and the other Cannabinoids for recreational and medicinal uses
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