All things in moderation – an exploration of GMOs and their

pros and cons Russ Karow

Professor Emeritus OSU Crop and Soil Science

Executive Director Agricultural Research

Foundation

Preamble 1

My sincere thanks to those from whom I borrowed significant presentation content:

• Dr. Sagar Sathuvalli – OSU Potato Breeder

• Dr. Steve Straus – OSU College of Forestry

• Dr. Syed Sayeed – National Foods Limited, Pakistan (EU Funded Project)

• Wikipedia

Preamble 2 I am not an expert on GMOs. My intent is to provide background information on what GMOs are and how they might help or harm us. I will leave decisions on whether they need to be relegated to the realm of “good” or “bad” to you the listener. I will refer any questions that get into details beyond my expertise to other scientists with greater expertise.

The man who has food has many problems, the man who has none

but one

All things in moderation

Preamble 3

Sayings attributable to several

Presentation Outline

• Basic plant biology

• Genes and gene expression

• Plant and animal improvement methods

• Examples of uncontested GM use

• Pros and cons of GM use

• Thoughts on labeling

• Where to get more information

• Conclusion – all things in moderation

The cell is the structural and functional unit of all living organisms, sometimes called

the "building block of life."

Cell

RNA

DNA→RNA→Protein

Central Dogma of Biology

DNA

“faithfully” replicates

Transcription • Transcription is the special copying of one side of the DNA

molecule that results in the production of a single strand of RNA (messenger RNA - mRNA)

• The original DNA is not changed

• The amount of DNA that is transcribed is usually one gene

Sense

Antisense

Translation • Translation is the reading of the RNA code, by ribosomes,

to make proteins • Translation is often called protein synthesis

Protein

Wikipedia – Genetic Code 23 February 2016

* International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry

*

Translation • Translation is the reading of the RNA code, by ribosomes,

to make proteins • Translation is often called protein synthesis

Protein

Human to • human – 99.5 • chimpanzees - 96 to 98 • cows - 80 • mouse - 75 • fruit fly – 60 • chickens – 60 • wine grape 24 • bakers yeast - 18

Cats to • humans - 90 • dogs - 82 • cows – 80 • chimpanzees – 70 • rats - 69 • mice - 67

http://www.eupedia.com National Geographic - http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/07/125-explore/shared-genes

Genetic Similarities (%)

Plant & Animal Improvement Methods

• Traditional “cross-breeding”:

o Cross two individuals from the same or sexually compatible species

o Produces new organism with mixture of parental traits

• Mutagenesis:

o Stable modification of genes through mutagens (e.g., Gamma rays, chemicals)

o Not a transgenic approach

o Changes the DNA sequences without any new insertion

• Marker-Assisted Selection:

o Use genetic tools to speed traditional cross-breeding processes but is not GM

• Transformation/Transgenics:

o Adding a foreign gene, or RNA segment, to any organism

o May be from same species (non-sexually compatible) or different species

o Several techniques to introduce genes or RNA

o New techniques to turn off RNA within an organism

Gregor Mendel (1800s) determined the genetic cause of different pea phenotypic traits

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_domestic_dog

Four new dog breeds added to American Kennel Club – Dec 2014

• Spanish Water Dog • Cirneco dell'Etna • Bergamasco • Boerboel

• Marker assisted selection (MAS) is an indirect selection process where a trait is selected, not based on the physical manifestation of the trait itself, but on a marker linked to it

• very efficient selection systems (by magnitudes) that replace/supplement traditional phenotype-based selection systems

• Can select in the lab for disease resistance, quality traits, color traits, and any other characteristic that has a simple genetic linkage

Marker-assisted Selection

MAS in the OSU Wheat Breeding Program

All early generation experimental lines are tested for these genetic traits:

• Quality traits – PPO, kernel hardness, glutenin composition, seed color, preharvest sprouting

• Production traits - heading date, vernalization requirement, photoperiod sensitivity, herbicide resistance

• Disease resistance - stripe rust, soilborne mosaic virus, barley yellow dwarf virus, footrot

Modified from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Breeding_transgenesis_cisgenesis.svg

Gene Also called Intragenesis

• Also known as genetically modified or GM

• A transgenic organism contains a gene or genes which have been artificially inserted instead of acquiring these through “normal” processes

• The inserted gene sequence (transgene) may come from another similar or unrelated organism

• Throughout history, microbes, plants and animals have been genetically modified from their original wild state – GM allows greater accuracy and speed in this process

Transgenic Organisms

GloFish – jellyfish gene

ArticApple – RNAi

Transgenic Organisms with Little Societal Pushback

• Most insulin used today is GM • A number of cancer drugs used today were

discovered in nature but are now produced through GM means - taxol

• Nearly all commercially grown papayas in Hawaii are GM – ringspot virus resistance – HI industry would have been nearly destroyed without GM varieties

• Initial releases of male sterile Aedes species mosquitoes in Brazil (Zika virus carriers)

• Difference seems to be “need” vs. want

GM Pros in Crops

• Enhanced farming capability from grower and food production perspectives = more and cheaper food o Herbicide resistance o Pest resistance o Cold tolerance o Drought tolerance

• Increased nutritional content in foods – Golden Rice (beta carotene/vitamin A)

• Potential to produce edible vaccines (Hep-B, TB, etc.)

• Reduce world hunger and improve health

GM Cons • Concern that GM foods may diminish the

world’s biodiversity and diminish food supply in the long run – a real concern

• Concern about super weeds and other pests – a real, growing concern

• Concern that unintentional gene-flow will contaminate non-GM organisms – a real concern (our Jackson County Oregon debate)

GM Cons • Millions of people are already allergic to proteins

in nuts, fish, etc. GM products may add unconventional proteins that could spark unknown reactions – we don’t know if this is real concern

• Consumers, are unsure that current government regulatory processes provide needed protection

• Some are concerned that GMs allow creation of food oligarchies – some evidence for this

In Russ’ World, Conversations About GMs Would Include

• Overall pros and cons of a specific GM

• Type of risk with a specific GM

• Level of risk with a specific GM

• Level of certainty in the science behind a specific GM

• Societal concerns – equity, choice, social justice

Concept of Eco-Imperialism

• Eco-imperialism is a term coined by Paul Driessen

• Concept = forceful imposition of Western environmentalist views on developing countries

• Driessen argues that like earlier European imperialists, today’s eco-imperialists keep developing countries “destitute” for the benefit of the developed world

Thoughts on GM Labeling

• Consider what information you want a food label to tell you

• Original food labels were content based and give you specific, quantitatively measured nutritional information

• Organically grown is a process label – implies content but gives no quantitative guarantee

• Country of origin is an informational label – imparts social/political information

Thoughts on GM Labeling

• Over 75% of the processed foods on the market in the U.S. today contain ingredients derived from GM crops (Center for Food Safety 2016)

o Those with proteins – corn flour, soy flour, soy milk, etc.

o Those with no proteins – high fructose corn syrup, corn oil, soy oil, lecithin

• Do you want a specific content or a process label?

Thoughts on GM Labeling • Issue may have been partially resolved

• Vermont law went into effect on July 1, 2016

– words “produced with” or “partially produced with” GM ingredients would have been on label

• But Congress then passed and President signed a federal bill on July 20 that supersedes all state laws

• Requires yet to be determined labeling (USDA has two years to determine specifics). Can be label per se or allows GMO notification to be through Quick Response (QR) codes or 1-800 number

Russ’ World - GM Content Labels

• May contain cell material or proteins from a GM organism (akin to the nut processing plant label – warning when not absolutely sure)

• Contains cell material or proteins from a GM organism

Thoughts on GM Labeling • Campbell Soup - first major food company to

disclose the presence of GM in Jan 2016

• Mars, General Mills, Kellogg, ConAgra are following

All things in moderation

• There have been and will be instances when we will need GM organisms – Zika virus, Citrus greening disease, UG99 stem rust in wheat

• There are parts of the developing world where GM crops could improve life dramatically – vitamin crops, vaccine crops, Striga-resistant corn – should we deny others?

• Need to develop mechanisms for thoughtful consideration of use of GM organisms (and to address other major environmental issues)

For more information on biotechnology from an OSU College of Agricultural Sciences perspective, see this website: http://agbiotech.oregonstate.edu/

OSU College of Agricultural

Sciences

OSU – Your Land Grant University

• A 150+ year old idea

• Combine research, teaching and extension at universities

• Extension = science-based information locally delivered (4H, Master Gardeners, expt. stations)

• Statewide public service programs are separately funded from OSU budget – we need public support to maintain funding for programs that fuel a significant part of our state economy and add to quality of life in Oregon

Questions?