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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Aberdeen, Idaho » Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #312045
Title: Genetic basis and detection of unintended effects in genetically modified crop plants

Author
item LADICS, GREGORY - Dupont Company
item BARTHOLOMAEUS, ANDREW - University Of Canberra
item Bregitzer, Paul
item DOERRER, NANCY - International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI)
item GRAY, ALAN - Centre For Ecology And Hydrology
item HOLZHAUSER, THOMAS - Paul-Ehrlich Institute
item JORDAN, MARK - Agri Food - Canada
item KEESE, PAUL - Australian Government-Office Of The Gene Technology Regulator
item KOK, ESTHER - Rikilt, Institute Of Food Safety
item MACDONALD, PHIL - Canadian Food Inspection Agency
item PARROTT, WAYNE - University Of Georgia
item PRIVALLE, LAURA - Bayer Corporation
item RAYBOULD, ALAN - Syngenta
item RHEE, SEUNG YON - Carnegie Institute - Stanford
item RICE, ELENA - Monsanto Corporation
item ROMEIS, JORG - Agroscope
item VAUGHN, JUSTIN - University Of Georgia
item WAL, JEAN-MICHEL - Agro Paris Tech
item GLENN, KEVIN - Monsanto Corporation

Submitted to: Transgenic Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/6/2015
Publication Date: 7/20/2015
Citation: Ladics, G.S., Bartholomaeus, A., Bregitzer, P.P., Doerrer, N.G., Gray, A., Holzhauser, T., Jordan, M., Keese, P., Kok, E., Macdonald, P., Parrott, W., Privalle, L., Raybould, A., Rhee, S., Rice, E., Romeis, J., Vaughn, J., Wal, J., Glenn, K. 2015. Genetic basis and detection of unintended effects in genetically modified crop plants. Transgenic Research. 24:587-603.

Interpretive Summary: In January 2014, an international meeting sponsored by the International Life Sciences Institute/Health and Environmental Sciences Institute and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency titled “Genetic Basis of Unintended Effects in Modified Plants” was held in Ottawa, Canada, bringing together over 75 scientists from academia, government, and the agro-biotech industry. The objectives of the meeting were to explore current knowledge and identify areas requiring further study on unintended effects in plants and to discuss how this information can inform and improve genetically modified (GM) crop risk assessments. The meeting featured presentations on the molecular mechanisms that can cause variability in plant characteristics, how these mechanisms could potentially cause unintended changes, and how to best determine whether such changes pose risk to the environment or human health. Several themes recurred in a number of talks; for example, a common observation was that no system for genetic modification, including traditional methods of plant breeding, is without unintended effects. Another common observation was that "unintended" does not necessarily mean "harmful". This paper summarizes key points from the information presented at the meeting to provide readers with current viewpoints on these topics.

Technical Abstract: In January 2014, an international meeting sponsored by the International Life Sciences Institute/Health and Environmental Sciences Institute and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency titled “Genetic Basis of Unintended Effects in Modified Plants” was held in Ottawa, Canada, bringing together over 75 scientists from academia, government, and the agro-biotech industry. The objectives of the meeting were to explore current knowledge and identify areas requiring further study on unintended effects in plants and to discuss how this information can inform and improve genetically modified (GM) crop risk assessments. The meeting featured presentations on the molecular basis of plant genome variability in general, unintended changes at the molecular and phenotypic levels, and the development and use of hypothesis-driven evaluations of unintended effects in assessing conventional and GM crops. The development and role of emerging “omics” technologies in the assessment of unintended effects was also discussed. Several themes recurred in a number of talks; for example, a common observation was that no system for genetic modification, including traditional methods of plant breeding, is without unintended effects. Another common observation was that "unintended" does not necessarily mean "harmful". This paper summarizes key points from the information presented at the meeting to provide readers with current viewpoints on these topics.