|
|
 
|
Gene transplant may affect crop chemistry
(Monday, Sept. 9, 2002 -- CropChoice news) --
Illinois Prairie Farmer, O9/02/02, via AgNet:
A researcher from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) was cited
as saying that while genes in three common commercial brands of genetically
modified crops seem to work just like those in standard hybrids, there may
be changes in the plants' chemical makeup.
Hoping to discover whether transgenic crops differ from their unaltered
counterparts, the story says that SIUC biotechnologist David A. Lightfoot
and his research team began comparing gene performance in both kinds about
two years ago. The study's transgenic varieties consisted of Roundup Ready,
LibertyLink and YieldGard corn as well as an experimental variety Lightfoot
developed (and called GDH); the others were hybrids that passed genetic
purity tests. Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research, commonly
known as C-FAR, provided grant support for the project.
When researchers looked solely for gene function differences, they found
"absolutely nothing," Lightfoot says.
"While we did see some changes in gene activity in the GMOs (genetically
modified organisms) and refers to any living thing containing a gene or
genes not in its original blueprint), they were not greater than those
occurring between the non-GMOs," he says.
But in this case, nothing may actually be something. "What really raised our
eyebrows was the level of gene activity in our GDH corn," he says. "We knew
that our transgene caused tremendous metabolic differences, so we thought we
were being clever by including it in this study. We thought we would see big
changes, which would underline the lack of changes in the other materials.
"But although we could find changes in the chemical make-up of the plant and
in a few genes, the way the genes did not change. The plant was so adaptable
it could deal with the presence of a gene that was changing the flow of
traffic in its cells and yet still get to the same endpoint."
Astonished by these initial findings, Lightfoot ran the tests again - and
got the same results. "This makes everything more complicated," he says.
"There may be changes that are so subtle we miss them." | |
