1: Pol J Vet Sci. 2008;11(4):411-4.

Current issues connected with usage of genetically modified crops in production
of feed and livestock feeding.

Kwiatek K, Mazur M, Sieradzki Z.

Department of Hygiene of Animal Feedingstuffs, National Veterinary Research
Institute in Pulawy, Al. Partyzantów 57, 24-100 Puławy, Poland.
kwiatekk@piwet.pulawy.pl

Progress, which is brought by new advances in modern molecular biology, allowed
interference in the genome of live organisms and gene manipulation. Introducing
new genes to the recipient organism enables to give them new features, absent
before. Continuous increase in the area of the biotech crops triggers continuous 
discussion about safety of genetically modified (GM) crops, including food and
feed derived from them. Important issue connected with cultivation of genetically
modified crops is a horizontal gene transfer and a bacterial antibiotic
resistance. Discussion about safety of GM crops concerns also food allergies
caused by eating genetically modified food. The problem of genetic modifications 
of GM crops used for livestock feeding is widely discussed, taking into account
Polish feed law.

PMID: 19227143 [PubMed - in process]

2: Anal Bioanal Chem. 2009 Mar;393(6-7):1629-38. Epub 2009 Feb 19.

Sensitive and highly specific quantitative real-time PCR and ELISA for recording 
a potential transfer of novel DNA and Cry1Ab protein from feed into bovine milk.

Guertler P, Paul V, Albrecht C, Meyer HH.

Physiology Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Weihenstephaner Berg 3,
85350, Freising, Germany. patrick.guertler@wzw.tum.de

To address food safety concerns of the public regarding the potential transfer of
recombinant DNA (cry1Ab) and protein (Cry1Ab) into the milk of cows fed
genetically modified maize (MON810), a highly specific and sensitive quantitative
real-time PCR (qPCR) and an ELISA were developed for monitoring suspicious
presence of novel DNA and Cry1Ab protein in bovine milk. The developed assays
were validated according to the assay validation criteria specified in the
European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The detection limit and detection
capability of the qPCR and ELISA were 100 copies of cry1Ab microL(-1) milk and
0.4 ng mL(-1) Cry1Ab, respectively. Recovery rates of 84.9% (DNA) and 97%
(protein) and low (<15%) imprecision revealed the reliable and accurate
estimations. A specific qPCR amplification and use of a specific antibody in
ELISA ascertained the high specificity of the assays. Using these assays for 90
milk samples collected from cows fed either transgenic (n = 8) or non-transgenic 
(n = 7) rations for 6 months, neither cry1Ab nor Cry1Ab protein were detected in 
any analyzed sample at the assay detection limits.

Publication Types: 
    Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 19225766 [PubMed - in process]

3: J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Feb 13. [Epub ahead of print]

Safety Assessment and Detection Method of Genetically Modified Chinese Kale (
Brassica oleracea cv. alboglabra ).

Lin CH, Lu CT, Lin HT, Pan TM.

Institute of Microbiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Science, National
Taiwan University, Number 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, and
Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Nutraceutical Biotechnology, Shih
Chien University, Number 70, Ta-Chih Street, Taipei 10462, Taiwan.

Sporamins are tuberous storage proteins and account for 80% of soluble protein in
sweet potato tubers with trypsin-inhibitory activity. The expression of sporamin 
protein in transgenic Chinese kale (line BoA 3-1) conferred insecticidal activity
toward corn earworm [ Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner)] in a previous report. In
this study, we present a preliminary safety assessment of transgenic Chinese kale
BoA 3-1. Bioinformatic and simulated gastric fluid (SGF) analyses were performed 
to evaluate the allergenicity of sporamin protein. The substantial equivalence
between transgenic Chinese kale and its wild-type host has been demonstrated by
the comparison of important constituents. A reliable real-time polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) detection method was also developed to control sample quality.
Despite the results of most evaluations in this study being negative, the safety 
of sporamin in transgenic Chinese kale BoA 3-1 was uncluded because of the
allergenic risk revealed by bioinformatic analysis.

PMID: 19216530 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

4: Methods Mol Biol. 2009;483:69-87.

Production and localization of recombinant pharmaceuticals in transgenic seeds.

Rademacher T, Arcalis E, Stoger E.

Institute for Molecular Biology, RWTH Aachen, Worringerweg, Aachen, Germany.

Among the many plant-based production systems that have been developed for
pharmaceutical proteins, seeds have the useful advantage of accumulating proteins
in a relatively small volume, and recombinant proteins are very stable in dry
seeds allowing long-term storage and facilitating distribution before
processing.To take full advantage of the natural ability of endosperm cells to
store large amounts of protein in a protected subcellular environment, it is
useful to target recombinant proteins to appropriate storage organelles. In this 
chapter, we describe the distinct types of protein storage organelles in the
cereal endosperm and a protocol for the detection of recombinant proteins in
these organelles by immunofluorescence and immunogold labelling.The use of food
and feed crops for the production of pharmaceutical proteins such as edible
vaccines implies the need for strict separation of the transgenic seeds from the 
food and feed chain. For improved traceability visual markers may be co-expressed
with the gene of interest in engineered seeds. DsRed is one example for a
fluorescent protein that can be detected with high sensitivity using low tech
equipment. We therefore describe the generation of transgenic maize plants
expressing DsRed in a constitutive manner, and we point out the advantages of
using this marker during the process of transformation and selection of plant
tissue and later during breeding of transgenic lines into elite germplasm.

PMID: 19183894 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

5: Mod Healthc. 2009 Jan 12;39(2):17.

Battling the clones. CHW wants to avoid genetically altered foods.

Rhea S.

Publication Types: 
    News

PMID: 19172933 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

6: J Dairy Sci. 2009 Feb;92(2):444-57.

Fate of lysostaphin in milk from individual cows through pasteurization and
cheesemaking.

Van Hekken DL, Wall RJ, Somkuti GA, Powell MA, Tunick MH, Tomasula PM.

Dairy Processing and Products Research Unit, USDA, Agricultural Research Service,
Eastern Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, PA 19038, USA.
diane.vanhekken@ars.usda.gov

Transgenic cows secreting over 3 microg of lysostaphin/ mL of milk are protected 
against mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus, but it is unknown if active
lysostaphin persists through dairy processing procedures or affects the
production of fermented dairy foods. The objective of this study was to determine
the fate of lysostaphin as milk was pasteurized and then processed into cheese.
Raw milk from transgenic cows was heat treated at 63 degrees C for 30 min, 72
degrees C for 15 s (high temperature, short time), or 140 degrees C for 2 s
(UHT). Portions of the high temperature, short-time milk were manufactured into
semi-hard cheeses. Aliquots taken at each processing step were assayed to
determine the quantity (ELISA) and activity (ability to inhibit S. aureus growth)
of lysostaphin. Results indicated that most of the lysostaphin was present in the
aqueous portion of the milk and was not affected by pasteurization, although UHT 
treatment reduced enzyme concentration by 60%. The quantity and activity of the
lysostaphin decreased during cheesemaking. Based on the amount of lysostaphin
present in the starting cheesemilk, 10 to 15% of the lysostaphin was recovered in
the whey, 21 to 55% in the cheese curd at d 1, and 21 to 36% in cheese stored at 
4 degrees C for 90 d. Enough of the lysostaphin secreted into milk by transgenic 
cows survived typical dairy processing conditions to impart potential value as a 
bioprotective agent against staphylococci in dairy foods.

PMID: 19164654 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

7: J Genet Genomics. 2009 Jan;36(1):41-9.

Index selection on seed traits under direct, cytoplasmic and maternal effects in 
multiple environments.

Zhang W, Xu H, Zhu J.

Institute of Bioinformatics, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang
University, Hangzhou 310029, China.

Crop seeds are important sources of protein, oil, and carbohydrates for food,
animal feeds, and industrial products. Recently, much attention has been paid to 
quality and functional properties of crop seeds. However, seed traits possess
some distinct genetic characteristics in comparison with plant traits, which
increase the difficulty of genetically improving these traits. In this study,
diallel analysis for seed models with genotype by environment interaction (GE)
effect was applied to estimate the variance-covariance components of seed traits.
Mixed linear model approaches were used to estimate the genetic covariances
between pair-wise seed and plant traits. The breeding values (BV) were divided
into two categories for the seed models. The first category of BV was defined as 
the combination of direct additive, cytoplasmic, and maternal additive effects,
which should be utilized for selecting stable cultivars over multi-environments. 
The three genetic effects, together with their GE interaction, were included in
the second category of BV for selecting special lines to be grown in specific
ecosystems. Accordingly, two types of selection indices for seed traits, i.e.,
general selection index and interaction selection index, were developed and
constructed on the first and the second category BV, respectively. These proposed
selection indices can be applied to solve the difficult task of simultaneously
improving multiple seed traits in various environments. Data of crop seeds with
regard to four seed traits and four yield traits based on the modified diallel
crosses in Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) were used as an example for
demonstrating the proposed methodology.

Publication Types: 
    Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 19161944 [PubMed - in process]

8: Rev Med Suisse. 2008 Dec 10;4(183):2709.

[Europe does not want to eat cloned food]

[Article in French]

Nau JY.

jynau@orange.fr

PMID: 19157291 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

9: Anal Chim Acta. 2009 Feb 16;634(1):75-82. Epub 2008 Dec 6.

Evaluation of stable isotope labelling strategies for the quantitation of CP4
EPSPS in genetically modified soya.

Ocaña MF, Fraser PD, Patel RK, Halket JM, Bramley PM.

Centre for Chemical and Bioanalytical Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of
London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK.

The introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops into the market has raised a 
general alertness relating to the control and safety of foods. The applicability 
of protein separation hyphenated to mass spectrometry to identify the bacterial
enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (CP4 EPSPS) protein expressed in GM
crops has been previously reported [M.F. Ocana, P.D. Fraser, R.K.P. Patel, J.M.
Halket, P.M. Bramley, Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 21 (2007) 319.]. Herein, we
investigate the suitability of two strategies that employ heavy stable isotopes, 
i.e. AQUA and iTRAQ, to quantify different levels of CP4 EPSPS in up to four GM
preparations. Both quantification strategies showed potential to determine
whether the presence of GM material is above the limits established by the
European Union. The AQUA quantification procedure involved protein
solubilisation/fractionation and subsequent separation using SDS-PAGE. A segment 
of the gel in which the protein of interest was located was excised, the stable
isotope labeled peptide added at a known concentration and proteolytic digestion 
initiated. Following recovery of the peptides, on-line separation and detection
using LC-MS was carried out. A similar approach was used for the iTRAQ workflow
with the exception that proteins were digested in solution and generated tryptic 
peptides were chemically tagged. Both procedures demonstrated the potential for
quantitative detection at 0.5% (w/w) GM soya which is a level below the current
European Union's threshold for food-labelling. In this context, a comparison
between the two procedures is provided within the present study.

Publication Types: 
    Evaluation Studies
    Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 19154813 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

10: Recent Pat DNA Gene Seq. 2009;3(1):53-62.

Current patents and future development underlying marker-assisted breeding in
major grain crops.

Utomo HS, Linscombe SD.

Rice Research Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, 1373
Caffey Rd., Rayne, Louisiana 70578, USA. hutomo@agcenter.lsu.edu

Genomics and molecular markers provide new tools to assemble and mobilize
important traits from different genetic backgrounds, including breeding lines and
cultivars from different parts of the world and their related wild ancestors, to 
improve the quality and yield of the existing commercial cultivars to meet the
increasing challenges of global food demand. The basic techniques of
marker-assisted breeding, such as isolating DNA, amplifying DNA of interest using
publicly available primers, and visualizing DNA fragments using standard
polyacrylamid gel, have been described in the literature and, therefore, are
available to scientists and breeders without any restrictions. A more
sophisticated high-throughput system that includes proprietary chemicals and
reagents, parts and equipments, software, and methods or processes, has been a
subject of intensive patents and trade secrets. The high-throughput systems offer
a more efficient way to discover associated QTLs for traits of economic
importance. Therefore, an increasing number of patents of highly valued genes and
QTLs is expected. This paper will discuss and review current patents associated
with genes and QTLs utilized in marker-assisted breeding in major grain crops.
The availability of molecular markers for important agronomic traits combined
with more efficient marker detection systems will help reach the full benefit of 
MAS in the breeding effort to reassemble potential genes and recapture critical
genes among the breeding lines that were lost during domestication to help boost 
crop production worldwide.

Publication Types: 
    Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    Review

PMID: 19149739 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

11: Kennedy Inst Ethics J. 2008 Dec;18(4):393-402.

FDA releases draft guidance on regulation of genetically engineered animals.

Gluck JP, Holdsworth MT.

Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA.

PMID: 19143411 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

12: Eur J Histochem. 2008 Oct-Dec;52(4):263-7.

Can a genetically-modified organism-containing diet influence embryo development?
A preliminary study on pre-implantation mouse embryos.

Cisterna B, Flach F, Vecchio L, Barabino SM, Battistelli S, Martin TE, Malatesta 
M, Biggiogera M.

Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Laboratorio di Biologia Cellulare e
Neurobiologia, ed Instituto di Genetica Molecolare del CNR, University of Pavia, 
Italy.

In eukaryotic cells, pre-mRNAs undergo several transformation steps to generate
mature mRNAs. Recent studies have demonstrated that a diet containing a
genetically modified (GM) soybean can induce modifications of nuclear
constituents involved in RNA processing in some tissues of young, adult and old
mice. On this basis, we have investigated the ultrastructural and
immunocytochemical features of pre-implantation embryos from mice fed either GM
or non- GM soybean in order to verify whether the parental diet can affect the
morpho-functional development of the embryonic ribonucleoprotein structural
constituents involved in pre-mRNA pathways. Morphological observations revealed
that the general aspect of embryo nuclear components is similar in the two
experimental groups. However, immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization
results suggest a temporary decrease of pre-mRNA transcription and splicing in
2-cell embryos and a resumption in 4-8-cell embryos from mice fed GM soybean;
moreover, pre-mRNA maturation seems to be less efficient in both 2-cell and
4-8-cell embryos from GM-fed mice than in controls. Although our results are
still preliminary and limited to the pre-implantation phases, the results of this
study encourage deepening on the effects of food components and/or contaminants
on embryo development.

Publication Types: 
    Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 19109102 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

13: J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Jan 28;57(2):395-402.

Event-specific detection of stacked genetically modified maize Bt11 x GA21 by
UP-M-PCR and real-time PCR.

Xu W, Yuan Y, Luo Y, Bai W, Zhang C, Huang K.

Laboratory of Food Safety and Molecular Biology, College of Food Science and
Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing.

More and more stacked GMOs have been developed for more improved functional
properties and/or a stronger intended characteristic, such as antipest, improved 
product efficiency etc. Bt11 x GA21 is a new kind of stacked GM maize developed
by Monsanto Company. Since there are no unique flanking sequences in stacked
GMOs, up to now, no appropriate method has been reported to accurately detect
them. In this passage, a novel universal primer multiplex PCR (UP-M-PCR) was
developed and applied as a rapid screening method for the simultaneous detection 
of five target sequences (NOS, 35S, Bt11 event, GA21 event, and IVR) in maize
Bt11 x GA21. This method overcame the disadvantages rooted deeply in conventional
multiplex PCR such as complex manipulation, lower sensitivity, self-inhibition
and amplification disparity resulting from different primers. What's more, it got
a high specificity and had a detection limit of 0.1% (approximates to 38 haploid 
genome copies). Furthermore, real-time PCR combined with multivariate statistical
analysis was used for accurate quantification of stacked GM maize Bt11 x GA21 in 
100% GM maize mixture (Bt11 x GA21, Bt11 and GA21). Detection results showed that
this method could accurately validate the content of Bt11, GA21 and Bt11 x GA21
in 100% GM mixture with a detection limit of 0.5% (approximates to 200 haploid
genome copies) and a low relative standard deviation <5%. All the data proved
that this method may be widely applied in event-specific detection of other
stacked GMOs in GM-mixture.

Publication Types: 
    Evaluation Studies
    Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 19105640 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

14: Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2008 Dec 7. [Epub ahead of print]

Murine models for evaluating the allergenicity of novel proteins and foods.

Aldemir H, Bars R, Herouet-Guicheney C.

University of Paris Sud XI, Faculty of Pharmacy, 5 rue J.B. Clément, 92290
Châtenay Malabry, France; Bayer CropScience, 355 rue Dostoïevski, 06903
Sophia-Antipolis, France.

Genetically modified crops convey many benefits to world population. However, a
rigorous safety assessment procedure, including an evaluation of the allergenic
potential, is fundamental before their release into the food chain. As an
integral part of the safety assessment process, regulatory authorities worldwide 
strongly recommend the use of tests that can predict the allergenic potential of 
the novel proteins. All guidance documents are based on an array of tests that
have been proposed in 2003 by the Codex Alimentarius. Although the animal model
is not a requirement of the Codex Alimentarius weight of evidence approach,
allergenic hazard of novel proteins could only be evaluated by an in vivo model
that can potentially identify and distinguish commonly allergenic proteins from
rarely allergenic proteins. Therefore, food allergy experts encourage its
development. During the 2007 International Life Science Institute (ILSI) workshop
(Nice, France), worldwide experts shared their latest research results on rodent 
models to evaluate the allergenic potential of proteins and foods. This review
presents the most promising rodent models for assessing food protein
allergenicity that were evaluated during this ILSI workshop.

PMID: 19100305 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

15: Plant Cell Rep. 2009 Mar;28(3):445-55. Epub 2008 Dec 18.

Evaluation of a morphological marker selection and excision system to generate
marker-free transgenic cassava plants.

Saelim L, Phansiri S, Suksangpanomrung M, Netrphan S, Narangajavana J.

Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road,
Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.

The efficacy of the ipt-type Multi-Auto-Transformation (MAT) vector system to
transform the extensively grown cassava cultivar "KU50" was evaluated. This
system utilizes the isopentenyltransferase (ipt) gene as morphological marker for
visual selection of transgenic lines. The extreme shooty phenotype (ESP) of
transgenic lines is lost due to the removal of ipt gene mediated by the yeast
Rint/RS system. As a result, phenotypically normal shoots, considered marker-free
transgenic plants, could be obtained. When transforming KU50 cassava cultivar
with two different ipt-type MAT vectors, transformation frequency at 19-21% was
observed. Among the total number of ESP explants, 32-38% regained normal extended
shoot phenotype and 88-96% of which were confirmed to represent the marker-free
transgenic plants. This is the first demonstration of the efficacy of Rint/RS
system in promoting excision of ipt marker gene in cassava specie, with the
consequent rapid production of marker-free transgenic plants. The high efficiency
of this system should facilitate pyramiding a number of transgenes by repeated
transformation without having to undergo through laborious, expensive and
time-consuming processes of sexual crossing and seed production. The generation
of marker-free, thus environmentally safe, genetically modified cassava clones
should also ease the public concerns regarding the use of transgenic cassava in
both food and nonfood industries.

PMID: 19093119 [PubMed - in process]

16: Environ Biosafety Res. 2008 Oct-Dec;7(4):241-52. Epub 2008 Dec 16.

Dispersal of viable row-crop seeds of commercial agriculture by farmland birds:
implication for genetically modified crops.

Cummings JL, Handley LW, Macbryde B, Tupper SK, Werner SJ, Byram ZJ.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service,
Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort
Collins, CO 80521, USA. john.1.cummings@aphis.usda.gov

To address some concerns about the expansion of genetically engineered
pharmaceutical and industrial crops to outdoor plantings and potential impacts on
the human food supply, we determined whether commercial agriculture seeds of
maize or corn Zea mays L., barley Hordeum vulgare L., safflower Carthamus
tinctorius L. and rice Oryza sativa L. are digested or pass viably through the
digestive tract, or are transported externally, by captive mallard ducks Anas
platyrhynchos L., ring-necked pheasants Phasianus colchicus L., red-winged
blackbirds Agelaius phoeniceus (L.) and rock pigeons Columba livia Gmelin (with
the exception of whole maize seeds which were too large to feed to the
blackbirds). These crop seeds, whether free-fed or force-fed, did not pass
through the digestive tract of these bird species. The birds nonetheless did
retain viable seeds in the esophagus/crop and gizzard for several hours. For
example, after foraging for 6 h, mallards had retained an average of 228 +/- 112 
barley seeds and pheasants 192 +/- 78 in the esophagus/crop, and their
germination rates were 93 and 50%, respectively. Birds externally transported
seeds away from the feeding location, but in only four instances were seeds found
attached to their muddy feet or legs and in no case to feathers. Risk of such
crop seeds germinating, establishing and reproducing off site after transport by 
a bird (externally or internally) or movement of a carcass by a predator, will
depend greatly on the crop and bird species, location, environmental conditions
(including soil characteristics), timing, and seed condition.

Publication Types: 
    Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

PMID: 19081011 [PubMed - in process]

17: New Phytol. 2009;181(1):174-86.

Effects of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone on volatile terpenoid emissions and 
multitrophic communication of transgenic insecticidal oilseed rape (Brassica
napus).

Himanen SJ, Nerg AM, Nissinen A, Pinto DM, Stewart CN Jr, Poppy GM, Holopainen
JK.

Department of Environmental Science, University of Kuopio, P.O. Box 1627,
FIN-70211 Kuopio, Finland. sari.himanen@uku.fi

Does transgenically incorporated insect resistance affect constitutive and
herbivore-inducible terpenoid emissions and multitrophic communication under
elevated atmospheric CO(2) or ozone (O(3))? This study aimed to clarify the
possible interactions between allocation to direct defences (Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt) toxin production) and that to endogenous indirect defences
under future climatic conditions. Terpenoid emissions were measured from
vegetative-stage non-Bt and Bt Brassica napus grown in growth chambers under
control or doubled CO(2), and control (filtered air) or 100 ppb O(3). The
olfactometric orientation of Cotesia vestalis, an endoparasitoid of the
herbivorous diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella), was assessed under the
corresponding CO(2) and O(3) concentrations. The response of terpenoid emission
to CO(2) or O(3) elevations was equivalent for Bt and non-Bt plants, but lower
target herbivory reduced herbivore-inducible emissions from Bt plants. Elevated
CO(2) increased emissions of most terpenoids, whereas O(3) reduced total
terpenoid emissions. Cotesia vestalis orientated to host-damaged plants
independent of plant type or CO(2) concentration. Under elevated O(3),
host-damaged non-Bt plants attracted 75% of the parasitoids, but only 36.8% of
parasitoids orientated to host-damaged Bt plants. Elevated O(3) has the potential
to perturb specialized food-web communication in Bt crops.

Publication Types: 
    Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

PMID: 19076723 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

18: Food Chem Toxicol. 2009 Feb;47(2):425-32. Epub 2008 Dec 6.

A 90-day toxicology study of transgenic lysine-rich maize grain (Y642) in
Sprague-Dawley rats.

He XY, Tang MZ, Luo YB, Li X, Cao SS, Yu JJ, Delaney B, Huang KL.

College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural
University, No. 17 Tsinghua Donglu, Beijing 100083, China.

The gene for a lysine-rich protein (sb401) obtained from potatoes (Solanum
berthaultii) was inserted into maize seed to produce Y642 transgenic maize.
Compositional analysis of Y642 grain demonstrated that the concentrations of
lysine and total protein were higher than those observed in maize grain from a
near-isogenic non-genetically modified (non-GM) commercially available control
quality protein maize (Nongda 108). The safety of Y642 maize grain was assessed
by comparison of toxicology response variables in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats
consuming diets containing Y642 maize grain with those containing Nongda 108
maize grain. Maize grains from Y642 or Nongda 108 were incorporated into rodent
diets at low (30%) or high concentrations (76%) and administered to SD rats
(n=10/sex/group) for 90 days. An additional group of negative control group of
rats (n=10/sex/group) were fed AIN93G diets. No adverse diet-related differences 
in body weights, feed consumption/utilization, clinical chemistry, hematology,
absolute and relative organ weights were observed. Further, no differences in
gross or microscopic pathology were observed between rats consuming diets with
Y642 maize grain compared with rats consuming diets containing Nongda 108 maize
grain. These results demonstrated that Y642 lysine-rich maize is as safe and
nutritious as conventional quality protein maize.

Publication Types: 
    Comparative Study
    Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 19073230 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

19: J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Jan 14;57(1):26-37.

Real-time PCR array as a universal platform for the detection of genetically
modified crops and its application in identifying unapproved genetically modified
crops in Japan.

Mano J, Shigemitsu N, Futo S, Akiyama H, Teshima R, Hino A, Furui S, Kitta K.

National Food Research Institute, 2-1-12 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.

We developed a novel type of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array with
TaqMan chemistry as a platform for the comprehensive and semiquantitative
detection of genetically modified (GM) crops. Thirty primer-probe sets for the
specific detection of GM lines, recombinant DNA (r-DNA) segments, endogenous
reference genes, and donor organisms were synthesized, and a 96-well PCR plate
was prepared with a different primer-probe in each well as the real-time PCR
array. The specificity and sensitivity of the array were evaluated. A comparative
analysis with the data and publicly available information on GM crops approved in
Japan allowed us to assume the possibility of unapproved GM crop contamination.
Furthermore, we designed a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet application, Unapproved
GMO Checker version 2.01, which helps process all the data of real-time PCR
arrays for the easy assumption of unapproved GM crop contamination. The
spreadsheet is available free of charge at
http://cse.naro.affrc.go.jp/jmano/index.html .

Publication Types: 
    Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 19072282 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

20: J Agromedicine. 2008;13(4):219-24.

Biofuels and North American agriculture--implications for the health and safety
of North American producers.

Gunderson PD.

Dakota Center for Technology-Optimized Agriculture, Devils Lake, ND 58301, USA.
Paul.D.Gunderson.1@LRSC.NODAK.EDU

This decade has provided North American agricultural producers with opportunity
to not only produce fiber and food, but also fuel and other industrial products. 
The drivers incenting this development could be sustained well into the future,
therefore workforce safety and health implications are likely to persist for some
time. Within production agriculture, the 'feedstock growth and harvest cycle' and
'transport' sectors possess the changing exposures experienced by workers. The
Conference explored the following exposures: distiller's grains and
bio-processing byproducts, spent catalyst, solvent brine, microbial agents,
genetically modified organisms, discharge effluent, H2O dilutes, change in
cropping patterns and resultant use of different seeding and harvest
technologies, pests (whether target or non-target), and rural traffic resulting
from concentrated movement of massive quantities of biomass and grain. Other
issues of a more general public health nature such as watershed implications,
other environmental impacts, emissions, uneven economic development potential,
public safety issues associated with transport of both fuel and other industrial 
products, and rural emergency medical service need were explored. And, agronomic 
impacts were noted, including tillage change, potassium buildup in soil, nutrient
depletion, sedimentation and erosion of tillable soil, and local esthetics. It
was concluded that rural venues for formation and exploration of public policy
need to be created.

PMID: 19064413 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]