Abstract
In this report we have evaluated metabolite and RNA profiling technologies to begin to understand the natural variation in these biomolecules found in commercial-quality, conventional (non-GM) maize hybrids. Our analyses focus on mature grain, the article of commerce that is most typically subjected to the rigorous studies involved in the comparative safety assessment of GM products. We have used a population of conventionally-bred maize hybrids that derive from closely related inbred parents grown under standard field conditions across geographically similar locations. This study highlights the large amount of natural variation in metabolites and transcripts across conventional maize germplasm grown under normal field conditions, and underscores the critical need for further extensive studies before these technologies can be seriously considered for utility in the comparative safety assessment of GM crops.
Highlights
There is an urgent need to accelerate agricultural productivity on a global scale to feed our rapidly increasing human population
In this report we have evaluated metabolite and RNA profiling technologies to begin to understand the natural variation in these biomolecules found in commercial-quality, conventional maize hybrids
Our analyses focus on mature grain, the article of commerce that is most typically subjected to the rigorous studies involved in the comparative safety assessment of GM products
Summary
There is an urgent need to accelerate agricultural productivity on a global scale to feed our rapidly increasing human population. Another significant challenge to the use of Omics technologies in safety assessment of GM crops is the rational determination of biologically meaningful differences in relation to control samples To this end, the extent of the inherent natural variation in GM and non-GM crops must first be known to ascertain if changes detected by an analytical technology are due to the introduced transgene or are the result of changes due to genetic and environmental variability. To minimize environment and genotype variables, we have used this population derived from closely related inbred parents grown under standard field conditions across two geographically similar locations at Jerseyville and Jacksonville in Illinois, which represent typical commercial corn production environment To our knowledge, this is the first use of Omics technologies to characterize the large amount of natural variability in transcripts and metabolites across maize germplasm, and underscores the critical need for further extensive studies before these technologies can be seriously considered for utility in the comparative safety assessment of GM crops. We conducted the standard composition analysis as a reference to compare the variability revealed by the Omics technologies
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