Nuts and Bolts GMOs

Harold Trick

Department of Plant Pathology

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS

HNT@ksu.edu

Part I: The Science of GMOs

Presentation to Women Managing the Farm

Conference – Kansas 2/10/2017

Topics Addressed:

• What are GMO or GE organisms?

- (Definitions)

• How are GMO (GE) crops made?

• Why do we make them?

• Are they safe?

• How are they regulated?

•What GE crops are on the market?

Percentage of Biotech Acreage in USA

Source: Agricultural Statistics

Board USDA-ERSFarmer benefits: herbicide and insect resistance

What Is a GE or (GMO)?

• A genetically engineered

organism is a living plant,

animal, or microbe that

incorporates laboratory-

made recombinant DNA.

• Same as “transgenic”

• Less correctly referred to

as “Genetically Modified

Organism” or GMO

Genetically

Engineered

Organism

• chemical substance of genes

• assembly instructions for proteins

• genetic code is part of each

strand of the double helix

• the instruction code is

universal !!!!

G--C

A--TC--G

A--T

A--T

T--A

C--G

C--G

What is DNA?

What is a Gene?

GenePromoter

DNA RNA Protein

Desired trait

Terminator

DNA Sequence

tells the cell where and

how of product to make

Recombinant DNA

+ =

Cut and pasted

artificially in

the lab by

molecular scissors

Bacterial

DNAPlant

DNA

Plant DNA with

a small piece of

bacterial DNA

Glow in

the dark

tobacco

plant

stem

roots

leaf

Pharmaceuticals

Most if not all insulin on the market today is a GE product

Roundup Ready Soybeans

Conventional Roundup

Ready

Plant Transformation

Lab and Field testing

Breeding Program

Public Release

Gene Modification

BASIC

APPLIED

Research Steps

Gene Discovery

How to get the Gene into the plant ?

Inductio

n CM4

Proliferatio

n

Development

MSP

Regeneration

MSE

Plant Recovery

Starting

Material

Wheat

Tissue cultureModified MS-based medium w/

0.5 mg/L 2,4-D + 2.2 mg/L

picloram

10-14 d post anthesis

Modified MS-based medium w/

0.2 mg/L 2,4-D

Modified MS-based medium

no hormones

Agrobacterium Particle gun

Plant

Transformation

The Gene Gun

Plant tissue

DNA

Particle Bombardment

Nucleus

Target Cell

Metal particle

DNA

Wheat embryo tissue

transformed with

DNA

GFP:Green Fluorescent Protein

Shows the EVENTS

Wheat shoot stably

transformed with

GFP

Regeneration of Plants

GMO Wheat Plant Ready to

Test

TransgenicControl

sprayed with 0.2% Liberty

Why Do We Do It?

• To research gene function

• To deepen the gene pool and gain access

novel traits

• To gain greater control of trait expression,

including knocking out genes

• To cheaply manufacture expensive or rare

proteins (plantibodies, vaccines)

• Food Security

Agricultural Biotechnology or Genetic Engineering can

help increase our food supplies by providing protection

against various stresses

• Limited starch deposition

under high temperature

• Soluble starch synthase

(SSS)- heat liable

Seed size/yield is sensitive to heat

65 °F 77 °F 95 °

Effects of temperature on seed size

• Climate Models predict that Extreme Heat will occur every

1-3 years in the U.S

• Every 2°F rise above 65°F results a ~3-6% loss in yield

potential

• Total 2015 US wheat production 2.1 billion bu. (USDA,NASS)

• (wheat grown at 77°F results in 20-38% yield penalty)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

88 °F 91 °F 93 °F

Perc

ent Y

ield

Incre

ase

Com

pare

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o C

ontr

ol P

lants

Plant expressed

**

**

**

**

*

Validation: Plants expressing heat tolerant protein significantly outperforms controls

Control

non-transgenic

Seeds harvested from 93 °F heat treatment

Seed expressed trait

Plant expressed trait

GM Traits: the benefits

• Herbicide

resistance

• Insect resistance

• Disease resistance

• Pollen sterility

• Salt, cold or

drought tolerance

• Altered ripening

• Nutritional content

• Allergen content

• Altered oil content

• Anti-oxidants

Part II: Benefits and Risks of GMO's

Bt Sweet Corn

• Conventional sweet corn sprayed multiple

times with insecticides for corn earworms.

Transgenic Papaya Resistant to PRSVPapaya Ringspot Virus

http://www.planthealthprogress.org/current/reviews/papaya/top.htm

Golden Rice: A Functional Food

• Vitamin A

deficiency causes

blindness in some

countries

• Beta carotene

(provitamin A)

from daffodil

Risks of GMOs

Risk Analysis

• Hazard identification

• Hazard severity (worst case scenario)

• Probability of hazard

• Steps available to reduce risk

• Risk balancing (risk/risk and risk/benefit trade-offs)

• What is the acceptable risk level (margin of safety)

The public is bombarded with

misinformation on GE crops

The public is bombarded with

misinformation on GE crops

- rat study retracted

- control rats also had tumors

9/19/2012

Does GM plants cause autism??

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What are the risk with

Genetically engineered crops?

• Environmental

• Health

National Academy of Science, World Health Organization and British

Royal Society: Risks of GMOs are no different than conventional

organisms

What are the Environmental Issues?

• Loss of effectiveness of Bt pesticide due

to over-use

• Non-target effects

• Escape of transgenes

Bt-toxin• Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt)- Gram + soil

bacterium that produces a protein toxin (cry)

• Considered environmentally friendly

– Effect specific classes of insects

– No effect on mammals or honeybees

• 1901- bacteria was discovered to have cause

diseases in insects

• 1920’s- the bacteria were used as insecticides

• Currently used as an organic pesticide

Bt-toxin

• Currently used as an organic pesticide

• 1976 Bt gene was isolated

• 1985 first plant engineered to express

(tobacco)

• 1995 Bt engineered potato approve by EPA

• 1996 Bt corn, cotton, soybean and potatoes

grown

Loss of effectiveness of Bt

pesticide due to over-use

Cotton: Bollworm

Corn: corn borer

corn earworm

corn rootworm Soybean: bean looper

soybean moth

Positive environmental impact2001 North American Breeding Bird Survey:

Populations of songbirds that frequent around cotton

fields have increased significantly in the major U.S. cotton

producing states, with increases of 20 percent in Arizona,

over 30 percent in Mississippi and Alabama, and 10 percent

in Texas.

Quail nesting in cotton fields in south west, never

before seen

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

(2010):

“data provide a weight of evidence indicating no

unreasonable adverse effects of Bt proteins

expressed in plants to non-target wildlife”

Herbicide resistant plants

allows farmers to use “no till”farming practices

prevents erosion

conserves water

2003- Adoption of GE

plants resulted in a

reduction of 443 million

pounds of herbicides in

USA

What are the Health Issues?

• Eating “foreign” genes

• Toxins

• Nutritional content

• Allergens

• Medicines produced in plants

proteins

How can we ensure safety?

Biotech Regulatory Oversight

In US-coordinated approach

several agencies share responsibilities

-each product is regulated on a case-by-case basis

-government exercises oversight through a consultative process

USDA-APHIS

• Environmental

EPA

• Plant Pesticides

FDA

• Food

•Livestock feed

USDA-APHIS-

Regulation of confined

Trials

NIH and Institutional

Biosafety Guidelines

Research &

Development

Confined field trials

Food, Feed, &

Safety Assessment

7-10yrs, minimum

USDA-APHIS

• Environmental

EPA

• Plant Pesticides

FDA

• Food

•Livestock feed

USDA-APHIS-

Regulation of confined

Trials

NIH and Institutional

Biosafety GuidelinesResearch &

Development

Confined field trials

Food, Feed, &

Safety Assessment

Environmental Risk Assessment

Before a GE crop can be grown on a wide scale or sold

commercially, its developers need to petition APHIS for

“determination of non-regulated status”

1. Description of biology of non-modified plant

2. Relevant data and references

3. Complete a molecular characterization of GE plant

4. Detailed differences in genotypes between GE and Non-GE

5. Detailed differences in phenotypes between GE and Non-GE

6. Agricultural practices

7. Effects on non-target organisms

8. Indirect plant pest effects

9. Gene transfer potential between species which cannot interbreed

Solicitation of public comments in the Federal Registar

Food and Feed Safety Assessment

1. Purpose of intended modification

2. Complete a molecular characterization of GE plant

3. Information on expressed proteins

4. Information on known or suspected allergenicity and toxicity

5. Information on compositional and nutritional characteritics

6. For foods known to be allergenic, any change in endogenous

allergens

7. Comparisons of feeding studies comparing GM and non-GM

Solicitation of public comments in the Federal Registar

Overall time to Commercialization

13.1 years from the initiation of the discovery of a trait to

commercial launch of the transgenic plant in US

Canola Corn Cotton Soybean All

Crops

Years 11.7 12.0 12.7 16.3 13.1

This overall time can be broken down to two overall stages:

A. Research and development

B. Registration and regulatory affairs

R&D can further be broken down into subcategoriesSurvey by Phillips McDougall.2012

What is the Overall cost of bringing a GE event to the market?

Activity Stage

I. Early

Discovery

II. Late

Discovery

III. Construct

Optimization

IV. Commercial

Event Production

and Selection

V. Introgression

Breeding &Wide-

Area Testing

VI. Regulatory

Science

VII. Registration

& Regulatory

Affairs

Between 2008 and 2012 overall cost was $136 million

http://www.simplotplantsciences.com

(time.com)

Conclusions

• Genetic engineering is a powerful tool to

improve efficiency and nutrition of crops.

• There are legitimate concerns about risks

of GM crops that can be assessed.

• NAS: “risks do not differ in kind” from

conventional methods

• GMOs are not inherently safe or unsafe

• Products must be evaluated on a case-

by-case basis

2016 marked the 21th anniversary

of biotech crops on the market

• 181.5 million hectares (448 million acres)

have been planted Worldwide

• 18 million farmers in 28 countries plant

biotech crops

• Billions of people have consumed GE products

(even you)

• Cases of illness or deaths associated with GE

products: 0