Transcript Genetically Modified Organisms and Bioterrorism

GM plants,
impact on environment
and health risk
D. Nabiałkowska, 2006
GMO definition
Directive 2001/18/EC:
Genetic modification tools employed
by breeders:
crossing strains of the same species
(and selecting desirable offspring)
crossing crops with relatives of a different
species to introduce a desirable trait
hybridizing two species to produce a new crop
(e.g., triticale)
inducing desirable genetic mutations
introducing a gene via recombinant DNA and
genetic engineering technologies.
What do these all terms mean ?
GMO
genetically modified organism
GMM
GEO
LMO
GMP
GMC
genetically engineered organism
GM plants – how it was begun?
1980 – first transgenic plants (M. D. Chilton, U. Wash and 3 other groups almost
simultaneously) – tobacco plants that were kanamycin resistant
1990 – first fertile transgenic maize (Bt- corn) DeKalbGenetics
1994 – 1997 - FlavourSavr, the first GM food licensed by the FDA for human
consumption
1996 – genetically modified (GM) crops:
Bt - corn (Mycogen Corp/Coba Seeds)
RoundUp Ready Soybeans (Monsanto)
Bt – cotton (Monsanto)
1999 – GM crops cover 25% of US cropland. Corn, soybean, cotton and over 50 GM
crops have been approved by the USDA – potatoes, tomatoes, melons, beets,
strawberries, rice, wheat, apples, cucumbers, etc.
Why do we need transgenic plants?
 Herbicide tolerance (mainly glifosad)
 Pest resistance (bt – corn, bt-cotton)
 Viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes resistance
 Tolerance to environmental stress
 Harvesting and processing traits
 More nutritious
 Decreased levels of natural plant toxins
 Production of pharmaceuticals
www.monsanto.co.uk
ens-newswire.com
Global Area of Biotech Crops, 1996-2006
www.isaaa.org
121000 ha
102 ml ha
Transgenic plants in EU
84 genotypes of genetically modified plants have
already been approved in the EU.
maize –
46 genotypes
rapeseed –
12 genotypes
cotton –
13 genotypes
flowers –
4 genotypes
potatoes –
2 genotypes
rice –
1 genotype
soybean –
3 genotypes
sugar beat –
3 genotypes
http://www.gmo-compass.org
GM maize is cultivated in 5 UE countries
ha
Spain - tys. ha (2005) –
France – 5 tys.ha (2006)
Germany – (2 tys.) 1 tys. ha (2006)
Czech Republik – 1,5 tys. ha (2006)
Portugal – 780 ha (2005)
Maize is the only GM crop that
is grown commercially in the
EU.
http://www.gmo-compass.org
GM crops and environment
Anti-GM
• Loss of biodiversity
• Cross-pollination
• Emergence of
superweeds and
superbugs
• Potential increase in
use of herbicides
Pro-GM
• Need to increase
yields to feed
growing population
• Possibility of
reducing need for
pesticides,
fertilizers
• Grow more food on
same amount of land
Genetic modifications of crop plants
Herbicide tolerance - transgenic crops contain genes that
enable them to degrade the active ingredient in an
herbicide, rendering it harmless. Currently, two herbicide
resistant cropping systems are common for soybean,
maize, rapeseed, and cotton: RoundupReady (active agent:
glyphosate) and Liberty Link (active agent: glufosinate).
GM insect resistance - GM varieties with Cry genes are called Bt
varieties. Bt varieties with Cry1A gene are in cotton, sugar beet
and maize.
Bt maize – reduction of sprays applied
per season from 7-8 to 1-2. Additionally, reduction of mycotoxins
in Bt maize grain is observed.
Virus resistant crops - The most common way of doing this is by
giving a plant a viral gene encoding the virus' 'coat protein‘. GM
virus resistant plants on the market: papayas, squash, sweet
http://www.gmo-compass.org
potato.
Crops for industry
 Rather than a mix of different starches, the transgenic
“amylopectin potato” contains almost exclusively
amylopectin (an increase from 75 to 98 percent). This
starch will be used for paper, textiles and adhesives.
 GM rapeseed oil with high erucic acid content is used in
plastics and in high-grade industrial lubricants.
http://www.gmo-compass.org
Genetically Modified Plants and the Environment
Out-crossing - if GM plants pass their new traits on to
wild relatives, those relatives could be changed in a way
that could make them play a different ecological role,
potentially enabling them to out-compete other species.
New traits conferred by genetic engineering could offer
advantages that could lead to the widespread use of only a
few crop varieties – in other words, a loss of cultivar
biodiversity.
In general, seed companies rarely release only a single
cultivar with a new genetically engineered trait;
rather, they will introduce the same trait by breeding
to many different cultivars.
http://www.gmo-compass.org
Out-crossing requires a compatible partner
related species
Turnip
Rapeseed
Maize has no wild
relatives in Europe.
Sugar beets out-crossing to wild
relatives is possible.
Wheat –
is a self-pollinator
and is unlikely to
out-cross
Potatoes reproduce by
tubers, not seed.
http://www.gmo-compass.org
Safety of GM crops
Farmers growing GM crops with Bt gene
(Cry1A) (e.g. maize or cotton) should grow
refuge areas to prevent rapid emerging of
resistant insects. However, if Cry1A gene
will flow into weed relatives the model will
collapsed.
Insects resistant to insecticides
SUPERBUGS
For this reason, the EPA proposed banning GM insect resistant
cotton in areas of the US where cotton has wild relatives
Halford, 2004
Safety of GM crops
It’s conceivable that an herbicide
tolerance gene in a GM crop could make
its way into other plants.
This could make for weeds that are even
more difficult for farmers to manage.
SUPERWEEDS
Canola with three-way tolerance to
herbicides
Northern Alberta, Canada
“00” rapeseed=canola,
low erucic acid and low
glucosinolates content
“Innovator” - GMV from
Aventi - Liberty resistant
“Quest” canola
- GMV developed by Monsanto
- Roundup resistant
400 m
400 m
GMV - resistant to Pursuit
In three years, a super-herbicide-resistant breed
to Roundup, Liberty & Pursuit was produced
www.cropchoice.com
„Slow Food” and biodiversity
75% of European food product diversity has been lost since 1900
93% of American food product diversity has been lost in the
same time period
33% of livestock varieties have disappeared or are near
disappearing
30,000 vegetable varieties have become extinct in the last
century, and one more is lost every six hours
The mission of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity is to
organize and fund projects that defend our world’s heritage of
agricultural biodiversity and gastronomic traditions.
We envision a new agricultural system that respects local cultural
identities, the earth’s resources, sustainable animal husbandry,
http://www.slowfoodfoundation.com/
and the health of individual consumers.
GMOs and Human Health
Anti-GM
• Fear of unknown
•
allergens
• Spread of anti•
biotic resistance
• Removal of valuable
nutritional
substances in food.
Pro-GM
Greater regulations
than other foods
Potential benefits to
nutrition
– golden rice
– enhanced protein
content in corn
– soybean oil with less
saturated fat
Crops for healthier food and feed
 Modified oil content and composition (e.g. polyunsaturated
fatty scids such as linoleic acid, laureic acid) - maize,
soybeans, rapeseed and other oil crops
 „Golden rice”
 Higher content of protein or amino acids, or modified
amino acid composition for enhanced nutritional value (GM
potato was developed in India containing one third more
protein including essential, high quality nutrients)
 Gluten-free wheat
 Higher levels of beneficial antioxidant compounds
 Fruits with longer shelf-life (The FlavrSavr® tomato )
 Elimination or reduction of undesirable substances like
allergens or toxic substances (e.g. caffeine, nicotine
http://www.gmo-compass.org
GMOs and Human Health
„Golden rice" – enrichment with carotenoids (provitamin A): This
project produced a rice cultivar with enhanced levels of beta-carotene
and other carotenoids, which are metabolic precursors of vitamin A.
Because rice naturally contains only a negligible amount of betacarotene, vitamin A deficiency is widespread in regions of the world
where rice is a staple food.
Golden Rice: the intensity of the colour
represents the content of provitamin A.
hypoallergenic wheat - by changing the levels of expression of a
gene called thioredoxin scientists have been able to reduce the
allergenic effects of wheat and other cereals.
ucbiotech.org/.../shakespear/shak
espeare2.html
enetic engineering - role in the production
of the food we eat each day.
Baked Goods
(Bread, Biscuits, Snacks)
Flour from GM soybean
Oils from GM soybean or GM rapeseed
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) produced by GM microorganisms
Glutamate (flavour enhancer used in snacks) produced by GM microorganisms
Enzymes and other processing aids produced with the help of GM microorganisms
Sweets
(Chocolate, Candy, Ice Cream ...)
Lecithin from GM soy
Glucose or glucose syrup (corn syrup) from GM maize
Enzymes produced with the help of GM microorganisms
Ingredients and additives from GM maize
Sweeteners: Aspartame or citric acid produced by GM
microorganisms
Cheese
Milk from animals that were raised with GM feed
Chymosin enzyme produced with the help of GM microorganisms
http://www.gmo-compass.org
genetic engineering - role in the
production of the food we eat each day.
Meat and Sausage
Meat from animals that were raised with GM feed
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Glutamate (flavour enhancer),
Beverages (fruit juice, beer, wine)
Vitamins (C, B2, B12) produced with the help of GM
microorganisms
Enzymes used in processing, pressing, or filtering
juices that are made with the help of GM microorganisms
http://www.gmo-compass.org
Safety of GM crops and foods
Allergenicity in GM crops:
GM soybean with a methionine-rich 2S albumin storage protein,
gene from Brazilian nut – to increased feeding value of seeds.
Never reached market. 2S albumins from other species are well
http://www.isb.vt.edu
known to be allergenic.
GM potato to produce lectin (Dr. Pusztai incident):
Lectins are natural plant insecticides but usually poisonous to
animals, including humans. Gene for the lectin came from snowdrop.
Rats fed with GM lectin rich potato suffered more badly as those
fed with ordinary potato spiked with a lectin.
www.rowett.ac.uk
antibiotic resistance genes
Antibiotic resistance genes: they’re found in many genetically
modified plants. These markers are an important tool in the
laboratory, but they have caused great concern in the public
debate. Many antibiotics are gradually losing their medical
effectiveness as more and more diseases become resistant.
A dangerous scenario: Antibiotic resistance genes from GM
foods are taken up by bacteria in the gut during digestion. If
bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance genes were ever to cause
infection, it would be very difficult for doctors to treat
The probability of a successful transfer of an antibiotic resistance gene to a
bacterium is very low. Estimates from laboratory experiments place the
probability at anywhere from 1:10,000,000,000,000 to
http://www.gmo-compass.org
1:1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
„Slow Food” – social movenment
„Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-
supported organization that was founded to counteract
fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food
traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food
they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how
our food choices affect the rest of the world.
„Slow Food is good, clean and fair food. We believe that the food
we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean
way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our
health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation
for their work”
http://www.slowfood.fr/article/00000009/tomato5.jpg
http://www.slowfood.pl/images/o7.jpg
http://www.kukuriku.hr/images/vinoteka2v.jpg
We are seeing in the media - transgenic animals
„Japanese scientists claim to have
created pigs implanted with spinach
genes - the meat is said to be
healthier to eat”
„Mice are genetically modified to provide better
models for the study of human diseases”
„Giant GM salmons on
the market in 2007?”
„In 1996, in Poland, Greenpeace
discovered GM carp with human
growth hormone genes (to make
them grow faster) that had been
swimming in the ponds of a ...”
www.fao.org
www.uoguelph.ca
Why regulate?
Transgenic crops or GMOs may pose risks or possible dangers to
human health, animal health or to the environment
EU-Regulation
Directive on the Deliberate
Release into the Environment of
Genetically Modified Organisms
(2001/18)
Regulation on Genetically
Modified Food and Feed
(1829/2003)
 No harmful effects on humans
or environment (environmental
impact assessment)
 No harmful effects on human
or animal health or on the
environment not mislead the
consumer
 Scientific safety assessment
Standardised method for
detecting the GMO and
monitoring
 Scientific safety assessment: just as
safe as a comparable conventional
product – labelling, detection method,
post-market monitoring (not mandatory)
http://www.gmo-compass.org
Labeling of GMO Products:
GMO labeling was introduced to give consumers the freedom
to choose between GMOs and conventional
products. Essentially, if a foodstuff is produced using genetic
engineering, this must be indicated on its label.
EC regulation require any food containing GM material to be
labeled.
Foods that contain small amounts (below 1%) of GM material –
as a result of accidental mixing with GM product are exempt
from the labeling laws.
GMO-free areas in the EU