A novel reference plasmid for the qualitative detection of genetically modified rice in food and feed.

Liang Li,Na An,Lixia Liang,Wujun Jin,Mei Dong,Yusong Wan

doi:10.1155/2015/948297

Abstract

Rice is one of the most important food crops in the world. Genetically modified (GM) technology has been used in rice to confer herbicide tolerance and pathogen or insect resistance. China invests heavily in research on GM rice. By the end of 2014, at least 250 transgenic rice lines had been developed in China. To monitor the presence of GM rice in food and feed, we collected information on foreign elements from 250 transgenic rice lines and found 5 elements, including the Agrobacterium tumefaciens nopaline synthase terminator (T-NOS), the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (CaMV35S), the ubiquitin gene (Ubi), the bar gene, and the hygromycin phosphotransferase gene (Hpt), that are commonly present in GM rice. Therefore, we constructed a novel plasmid (pBJGMM001) that contains fragments of these elements and two endogenous reference genes (the sucrose phosphate synthase gene, SPS, and the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase gene, PEPC). pBJGMM001 can serve as a standard for detecting 96% of GM rice lines in China. The primers, amplicons, reaction mixture, and PCR program were developed based on Chinese National Standards. The protocol was validated and determined to be suitable for practical use in monitoring and identifying GM rice.

Highlights

Rice (Oryza sativa L.), which is one of the most important cereal crops in the world, is a fundamental food source that provides nutrition for nearly half of the global population [1]
Since the first transgenic rice plant was obtained by Toriyama et al in 1988, transformation of rice has been an important issue in transgenic research in the field of modern agricultural biotechnology [5,6,7]
Genetically modified (GM) rice may increase the efficiency of modern agriculture and provide other benefits, not all global markets fully accept GM products for a variety of reasons, including the introduction of new allergens, the possible development of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, and the modification of environmental biodiversity [11]

Summary

Introduction

Rice (Oryza sativa L.), which is one of the most important cereal crops in the world, is a fundamental food source that provides nutrition for nearly half of the global population [1]. Since the first transgenic rice plant was obtained by Toriyama et al in 1988, transformation of rice has been an important issue in transgenic research in the field of modern agricultural biotechnology [5,6,7]. GM rice varieties developed in China are soon to be approved for agricultural cultivation and production [9]. The use of GM rice varieties conferring resistance to pests or tolerance to herbicides will help to reduce the use of chemicals for crop protection [10]. GM rice may increase the efficiency of modern agriculture and provide other benefits, not all global markets fully accept GM products for a variety of reasons, including the introduction of new allergens, the possible development of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, and the modification of environmental biodiversity [11]. To monitor and verify the presence and distribution of GM rice, there is a need for GM detection methods that are BioMed Research International

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