Biosafety Issues

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    Biosafety Issuesof

    Genetically Modified Food

    Dr. Debasis Pattanayak

    Principal Scientist

    National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology

    New Delhi

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    Risk

    Assessment

    *science-based

    Risk

    Management

    *policy-based

    Risk

    Communication

    *interactive

    exchange

    Risk analysis is composedof three distinct activities

    Risk assessment

    Risk communication Risk management

    Although there is inevitableoverlap, these activities are

    separate

    Risk analysis

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    Risk

    Management

    *policy-based

    RiskCommunication

    *interactive

    exchange

    Risk

    Assessment

    *science-based

    A scientific processused toidentify hazards, the likelihood ofoccurrence, and the impacts onhuman and animal health and onthe environment

    Identification of possible riskmitigation measures

    Evidence-based and scientificallydefensible

    Requires diversecollection ofexpertiseand a significantknowledge base

    Harmonizedwith internationally

    acceptable approaches

    Risk assessment

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    Science-based

    Realm of Bio-Politics

    Risk = Exposure X Hazard

    Hypothetical risk:the hazard has

    not occurred BUT there is a scientific

    basis to support its existence

    Probabilistic risk:the hazard exists

    AND has occurred at least once

    Speculative risk:the hazard has not

    occurred AND there is NO scientific

    line of reasoning to suggest it will

    Types of risks

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    Risk

    Assessment

    *science-based

    Risk

    Communication

    *interactive

    exchange

    Risk

    Management

    *policy-based

    Decision-making

    Implementation of riskmitigationmeasures

    Balancebetween safetyand non-safety

    considerations (e.g.,socio-economic, cultural,and political)

    Consideration of benefits

    as well as risks

    Risk management

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    Risk

    Assessment

    *science-based

    Risk

    Management

    *policy-based

    Risk

    Communication

    *interactiveexchange

    A (non-technical) dialogue about

    risks, real and perceived

    Goal is to reduce the discrepancy

    between real risks and perceived

    risks

    Effective risk communicators are

    trusted and credible

    Risk communication fails when

    there is an information vacuum

    between scientific assessment of

    risk and the publics perception of

    risk

    Risk communication

    How to balance public good vs. theindividual rights of developers,

    farmers, producers, andconsumers?

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    Historically, our beliefs about the safetyof foods havebeen based almost entirely on tradition and culturalexperience

    In practice, very few of the foods we eat today have beensubject to any toxicological studies and yet they aregenerally accepted as safe

    Even foods that contain toxins or anti-nutrients orallergens have been considered safe through a long

    history of use Consider potatoes, tomatoes, peanuts, eggs, milk

    products, wheat products, strawberries and otherfruits, fish, shellfish, etc

    Traditional views of food safety

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    It is impossible to prove that something is safe

    The best that can be demonstrated is the absence of

    evidence of the production of harm

    Present and future safety can only be judged on the

    basis of past experience, an absence of evidence of

    harm is the only evidence we can ever expect for the

    absence of harm

    Can safety be proven ?

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    At the heart of the risk assessment process is the

    principle that GM foods CANbe compared with traditional

    counterparts that have an established history of safe use

    This comparison can be based on an examination of thesame types of risk factors for both (e.g.toxins, potential

    allergens, key nutrients, anti-nutrients).

    This comparative approach, whereby the food being

    assessed is compared with one that has an acceptedlevel of safety, is often expressed in the concept of

    Substantial Equivalence.

    The comparative approach

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    Genetic modification does not result in food which is inherently less

    safe than that produced by conventional means

    Risk associated characteristics assessed for GM food are equivalent

    to the same characteristics for conventional counterpart

    Variance of these characteristics must fall within the natural range

    demonstrated for conventional counterpart

    Substantially equivalent does not mean that two products are

    identical, but that one can be substituted for the other without

    adversely affecting the health and/or nutritional status of the

    consumer

    Substantial equivalence should be considered as the starting point

    only, useful for identifying the defined differences

    Key points

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    Direct consequences

    Nutritional, toxic, orallergenic effectsdue to the novelgene products

    Purposefully alteredlevels of existinggene products (e.g.use of anti-sensestrategies todecrease

    expression levels ofspecific proteinsFlavr Savr tomato)

    Indirect consequences

    Effects of new gene products, oraltered levels of existing geneproducts, on plant metabolism

    Unanticipated effects of geneticmanipulation such as:

    gene silencing,

    interruption of codingsequences, or

    altered regulation of genes, or

    effects related to somaclonalvariation arising from tissueculture regeneration of plants

    Statistically significant differences should be

    assessed for their biological significance

    The safety assessment process

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    Availability of data on compositional properties

    Availability of data on natural variations Availability of analytical methodsparticularly for

    detecting unintended effects (e.g.- Low glutelin

    transgenic rice and Golden rice)

    Limitations ..

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    While each product is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, generally the evaluation focuseson these key areas: Host and Donor Organisms

    Provide knowledge on natural range and variation of key

    components, potential toxicity and allergenicity of donor geneproducts

    Molecular Characterization Description of the donor and host organisms, modification

    process, genetic stability, expressed proteins

    Nutritional and Compositional Analysis Altered levels of naturally occurring toxins, nutrients, and anti-

    nutrients

    Toxicology Potentialtoxicity of novel protein

    Allergenic Potential Possibility that introduced protein(s) will result in allergic reaction

    Food safety assessment:

    What do evaluators typically look at?

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    Knowledge on Host and Donor Organisms

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    Host = organism that was transformed

    Context wherein introduced trait is expressed

    Cognizance of normal range in variation of hosts

    traits under different growing environments,

    seasons, developmental phases, geneticbackgrounds, etc.

    - Green potatoes: high concentrations of the glycoalkaloids solanine

    - Tomatoes: high concentrations of glycoalkaloids -tomatine, which

    decline dramatically with ripening

    Knowledge of the host organism

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    Knowledge of the properties of the final edible product is

    important in establishing appropriate comparator(s)

    Refined, bleached oil, which is free of DNA and protein,

    is the only product of oilseed rape (canola) consumed

    by humansfrom a risk assessment perspective, howrelevant is it to consider levels of expression of

    introduced proteins?

    Cyanogenic glycosides in cassava can release high

    concentrations of HCN. They must be removed byleaching and/or cooking in order to prevent toxicity

    Knowledge on food processing

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    Usefulness of substantial equivalence for assessing risks

    depends on a thorough knowledge of the host organism

    and the counterpart foods that are used as the basis for

    comparisonwith the GM food

    Natural range and variation of key:

    Nutrients

    Vitamins, cofactors, essential amino acids

    Toxicants Glycoalkaloids, glucosinolates, cucurbiticin

    Anti-nutrients

    Soybean trypsin inhibitor

    Allergens

    Knowledge of the host organism

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    Provides important information on the

    potential for toxicity, pathogenicity, or

    allergenicity

    Introduced proteins from known sources of

    allergens must be considered potential

    allergens until proven otherwise

    2S storage protein from Brazil nut that was

    introduced into soybeanwas suspected to be

    a potential allergen at the development phase

    and this was confirmed in subsequent testing

    Knowledge of the donor organism

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    Required information

    Taxonomic classification, common name,

    scientific name

    Information on known pathogenicity,

    toxicity, alergenicity Previous use/presence of organism (or

    specific products) in food or feed

    (contaminant, infectious agent, aditive,

    etc.)

    Gene(s) donated

    Knowledge of the donor organism

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    Gene / Sequence Mode of Action / Toxicity / Allergenicitycry1AB (Bacillus

    thuringiensis subsp.

    kurstaki)native gene

    (3468 nucleotides, 1156

    amino acids)

    Affects the larvae of susceptible insect species by

    binding to specific receptors on the plasma

    membrane of mid-gut epithelial cells, resulting in

    the formation of pores and ion equilibration. The

    gut becomes immobilized, the larva stops feeding,

    gut pH drops, and bacteria invade causing lethal

    septicemia.

    While target insects are susceptible, there is no

    evidence of toxic effects on non-target beneficial

    insects, mammals, fish, or birds given the

    equivalent of 10 g/g (body wt) of Bt protein.

    Enhanced, duplicated

    CaMV 35S promoter,

    hsp70intron, NOS 3

    terminator

    Regulatory sequences, no expression products.

    None of these sequence are known to have any

    pathogenic or harmful effects.

    Knowledge of the donor gene

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    Gene / Sequence Mode of Action / Toxicity / AllergenicityEPSPS (Zea mays)native

    gene

    The native maize EPSPS encoding gene was cloned,

    modified by site-directed mutagenesis, and reintroduced

    into embryogenic maize cells by microparticle

    bombardment (biolistic transformation).

    The amino acid sequence of the modified EPSPS proteindiffers from the wild-type sequence by two amino acids

    (99.3% sequence identity).

    No reports of allergenicity, pathogenicity, or acute toxicity

    for EPSPS proteins.

    Rice actin I promoter andintron sequences; Rubisco

    derived chloroplast transit

    peptide sequences (maize

    and sunflower); nos3

    polyadenylation signal fromA.

    tumefaciens

    Promoter and terminator sequences do not encode proteinexpression products. Chloroplast transit peptide sequence

    is plant derived and not known to have any pathogenic or

    harmful effects.

    Knowledge of the donor gene

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    Molecular Characterization

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    It is very important that a rigorous molecular

    characterization of each transgenic plant

    submitted for review be completed, it is equally

    important to recognize the limitations of thisapproach in predicting the safety of a novel food.

    The molecular characterization of transgenic

    plants often receives a disproportionate amount

    of attention from regulators relative to the

    information it imparts in terms of food, feed or

    environmental safety.

    Significance of molecular characterization

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    Maybe able to address issues related to

    positional effects, pleiotropic effects, and gene

    silencing

    Provides information on the composition and

    integrity of the inserted DNA

    Ensures that the developer has appropriately

    characterized the genetic modification

    Utility of molecular characterization

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    In the absence of other empirical data (phenotypic

    characteristics) the molecular characterization is unlikely

    to predict unforeseen effects on the concentrations of key

    nutrients, anti-nutrients, or endogenous toxins

    There is, for example, no correlation between copy

    number of the inserted DNA and safety

    B. napusevents 23-198, 23-18: developed by inserting

    a thioesterase gene from Lauris nobilis(California bay

    tree) in order to increase levels of lauric acid.

    The original transformant was estimated to contain 15

    copies of the inserted gene

    Limitations

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    1. The transformation system Agrobacterium-mediated

    Protoplast system

    Microparticle bombardment

    2. Molecular characterization of the inserted DNA

    Insert number

    Insert composition

    3. Genetic stability of the introduced trait

    Segregation analysis

    Integron stability

    Three aspects to consider

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    Common soil bacterium responsible for causing crowngall disease in susceptible plants

    Incorporation of a region of transfer DNA (T-DNA) from alarge (150-250 kb) circular Ti (tumour inducing) plasmid

    Replace the phytohormone biosynthetic genes within theT-DNA with genes of interest

    A. tumefaciensnaturally infects only dicots but methodshave been developed for monocots such as rice, banana,maize, wheat, and sugarcane

    Ag robacter ium tumefaciens

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    A. tumefacienstransformation is generally characterized

    by:

    Low transgene copy number

    Minimal rearrangements

    Higher transformation efficiency than direct DNA

    delivery techniques such as microparticle

    bombardment

    Ag robacter ium tumefaciens

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    Up until 1995, it was generally assumed that only

    sequences between the left and right borders of the T-

    DNA were incorporated into the host genome, but this is

    not always the case

    Inserted sequences may be coupled with the right or left

    border sequences, or as an independent unit unlinked

    from the T-DNA

    Ag robacter ium tumefaciens

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    Differential expression of transgenes has been attributed

    to:

    copy number - the number of transgene copies

    integrated into the host genome

    positional effects - the position of the T-DNA

    integration site in the host genome may affect the level

    of expression

    variable arrangements of transgene sequences in the

    host genome e.g.multiple copies in direct or inverted

    repeats

    Ag robacter ium tumefaciens

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    The food safety dossier should include:

    A summary table of all the genetic elements within theplasmid including coding and non-coding regions.

    For each element include:

    Citations where sequence was described, isolatedand characterized

    Portion and size of the insert

    Location, order and orientation of the vector

    Function in the host plant The donor organism

    Information for the risk assessor

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    A detailed map of the plasmid with the

    location of the sequences described in the

    summary table should be provided for use

    in the analysis of data supporting the

    characterization of the host plant.

    The map should include relevant restriction

    enzyme sites, locations of primers used forPCR, and any regions used as probes.

    Information on the plasmid map

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    Refers to the number of sites where the transgenic

    element is incorporated into the host genome.

    This is deduced by digesting genomic DNA with a

    restriction enzyme that does not cut within the transgenicelement followed by Southern blot analysis with a probe

    specific to one or more of the introduced genes.

    More than one band = more than one insertion site.

    This should be repeated with at least one other restriction

    enzyme to confirm the number of inserts.

    The inserted DNA: insert number

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    Gene A Gene B

    BamHI

    Inserted Element

    Genomic DNABamHI digest

    32P-labelled cDNA probe

    Southern

    blot

    Should yield a

    single band if

    one insert

    The inserted DNA: insert number

    3.5 kb

    109 135 136 146 147 150 151 152 154 155 156 157 NT PC

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    This is not the same as the number of insertion sites

    Digestion with one or more (i.e. can be single or doubledigests) restriction enzymes that either do not cut withinthe transgenic element, or cut only once but not within the

    sequence complementary to the hybridization probe This should yield one band per inserted element.

    Usually this is done with more than one restrictionenzyme, or combination of enzymes.

    Transgene copy number

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    Gene A Gene B

    EcoRI

    Inserted Element

    32P-labelled cDNA probe

    Genomic

    DNA

    EcoRI digest Southern

    blotA

    A

    B

    B

    XhoI

    XhoI digest Southern

    blot

    A singleband from

    each

    digestion

    indicates a

    single copy

    Transgene copy number

    G I t it

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    The goal is to determine if the gene(s) of interest are intact, or

    whether there have been truncations/deletions

    Digest genomic DNA with restriction enzymes to isolate the

    gene of interest

    Hybridize with a gene-specific probe. Resolved band should be the same size as that isolated from

    the plasmid.

    Alternatively, PCR with 5- and 3-terminal specific primers in

    order to amplify a fragment of the same size as the insertedgene

    Gene Integrity

    G ti t bilit

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    For each novel trait, the pattern and stability of inheritance

    must be demonstrated as well as the level of expression of the

    trait.

    Serological techniques are generally used to measure trait

    expression either qualitatively [e.g., Western immunoblotting,enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), etc.] or

    quantitatively (e.g., ELISA, radioimmunoassay, etc.).

    If the new trait is one that does not result in the expression of a

    new or modified protein (e.g., transgenic plants containing

    inserted antisense sequences) then its inheritance will have tobe determined by examining the DNA insert directly or by

    measuring RNA transcript production.

    Genetic stability

    P tt f i

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    How, when, and where

    Based on the promoter used (constitutive, tissue-specific,

    inducible, etc), is the novel protein expressed in the

    expected tissues and under the expected conditions?

    Presence or absence and amounts of expressed protein

    should be determined for a range of plant tissues (e.g.

    roots, leaves, seeds, pollen)

    And, from a food safety perspective, levels of expression

    of the protein(s) in the edible portionsof the plant arecritical

    Patterns of expression

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    Nutritional assessment

    Ai f t iti l t

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    For GM plants that were not developed to have

    intentionally altered nutritional value, the aim of

    the nutritional evaluation is to investigate

    whether there have been unintentional changesin levels of key nutrients, toxicants, allergens and

    anti-nutrients

    Aim of nutritional assessment

    Bi il bilit

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    In addition, in foods modified to increase nutrient

    levels, bioavailability needs to be substantiated

    Both in vitroand in vivostudies may be used for

    the purpose

    Bioavailability

    U i t d d ff t

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    Can arise in several ways:

    Insertional inactivationdisruption or alteration of the

    expression of a normal gene

    Alteration of metabolite poolsexpression of the new

    gene could alter the availability of amino acids, or

    divert substrates from other metabolic pathways

    The expressed protein, or altered levels of other

    proteins, could have anti-nutritional effects

    None of these possibilities are unique to transgenic

    plants, they can also occur with traditional breeding, and

    in fact may be less frequent in transgenic plants because

    only a few genes are transferred during the genetic

    modification

    Unintended effects

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    Single compound analysis reveals secondary changesonly by chance or if anticipated

    e.g., looking for changes in levels of glycoalkaloids

    Profiling methods allow for the simultaneous screening ofmany compounds without prior identification

    Protein profiles2D gel electrophoresis

    Chemical fingerprintschromatography/NMR/MS

    mRNA profiles to look for altered gene expressionDNA microarray technology, has been used to

    examine green vs. ripe tomatoes

    Detecting unintended effects

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    None of the profiling methods is sufficiently welladvanced to be used on a routine basis for identifyingunintended consequences of genetic modification

    Much to be done on standardization and validation ofmeasurements, sample collection

    In many cases the natural range of variation due toabiotic factors, plant growth stage, disease status, etc

    may overwhelm any differences due to geneticmodification

    Bioinformatics challenge to handle the very large datasets generated, particularly from microarray testing

    Limitation of profiling

    Traditional compositional analysis

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    Protein

    Fat

    Fibre

    Starch Amino acid composition

    Fatty acid composition

    Ash

    Sugars

    Calcium

    Phosphorus

    Traditional compositional analysis

    Context of nutrient changes

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    Changes in the nutrient levels become

    significant when they differ markedly from

    literature values and also:

    The relative contribution of the nutrient to thetotal intake (including other sources) is high

    The range of consumption of the grain or

    food/feed in the specific population is high The food is intended for specific groups such

    as pregnant/lactating women, children and the

    elderly.

    Context of nutrient changes

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    Assessment for Toxicity

    Focus on the defined difference

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    The principal focus of toxicity evaluation is/are the protein

    expression product(s) of the inserted gene(s)

    The inserted DNA, in itself, does not pose a food safety

    concern

    Normal dietary intakes of DNA/RNA vary widely but

    are generally in the range of 0.11.0 g/day

    Any concerns over the presence of novel DNA in the

    diet must consider that this DNA would represent

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    Introduced genes are often derived from microorganisms that do not

    have a history of significant consumption by humans

    Bt proteins (Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry3A) from Bacillus

    thuringiensis

    PAT enzyme from Streptomyces viridochromogenes, S.hygroscopicus

    EPSPS fromA. tumefaciens

    However, in some cases the protein products of introduced genes

    have been consumed in significant amounts

    Viral coat proteins from transgenic potatoes, papaya and squash

    Isolated plant genes that have been modified by in vitrosite-

    directed mutagenesis and re-inserted (e.g.mEPSPS in GA21

    maize)

    Reason for concern

    Weight of evidence approach in evaluating potential

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    Gene source

    Associated with known toxins?

    Relationship with substances having a known history of safeconsumption/exposure

    If Yes, then acute toxicity testing or additional testing not

    necessary Amino acid sequence comparison

    Any relationship with known protein toxinssimilar parametersas for homology searches of allergen databases

    In vitrodigestibility models

    Stability to pepsin digestionif yes, then possible toxin Heat stability

    Stability to heat inactivationif yes, then possible toxin

    Weight of evidence approach in evaluating potential

    toxicity of transgenic protein

    Assessment strategy

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    Fully characterizing a novel (transgenic) proteinrequires examining:

    Physiochemical properties

    Digestive fate Biologic and/or enzymatic activity

    Animal feeding trials (acute oral toxicity)

    Allergenicity testing

    Assessment strategy

    Protein toxins

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    Generally, novel proteins, like other dietary proteins, havea predictable metabolic fate upon ingestionthey are

    broken down to their constitutive amino acids under

    digestive conditions

    Proteins that behave this way, or are inactivated by heat

    (as in processing) are unlikely to exert adverse affects

    Protein toxins (and allergens) tend to be resistant todigestionthis is a necessary but not a sufficient

    condition, as in the absence of other toxicological

    evidence there is no consensus on resistant proteins

    being a higher risk

    Protein toxins

    In v i t ro studies

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    Digestibility assaysincubating purified protein with

    simulated gastric and intestinal fluids and determining the

    extent of degradation over time

    This can be followed either by SDS-PAGE or by

    measuring biological and/or enzymatic activity ofsamples following incubation with simulated digestive

    fluids

    Heat inactivation assays

    Amino acid sequence comparisons

    Lack of homology with known toxins can be used as

    additional evidence for low potential for toxicity

    In v i t rostudies

    Unintended effects

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    A related issue is the possibility of unintentionally

    modifying metabolic pathways as a consequence

    of gene insertion, thus affecting concentrations of

    endogenous toxicants

    Since the toxic potential of endogenous toxins is

    already known, toxicological assessment is not

    required but determination of their levels is

    necessary as part of the compositional/nutritional

    analysis

    Unintended effects

    A i l t di

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    Commonly used for the safety assessment of many

    compounds, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals,

    industrial chemicals and food additives

    Works well for substances of known purity, no

    nutritional value, low potential for human exposuretherefore easy to test at high multiples of anticipated

    exposure and determine no observed effect levels

    (NOELs)and thus establish safe upper limits (e.g.

    acceptable daily intakes)

    Problematic with whole foods but can be used to

    investigate acute oral toxicity of purified proteins

    Animal studies

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    Assessment for Allergenicity

    Adverse reactions to food

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    Adverse reactions to food

    Non toxic

    Immune mediated

    (food allergy)

    Non immune mediated

    (food intolerance)

    Enzymatic

    Pharmacological

    UndefinedIgE Non IgE

    Toxic

    Adverse reactions to food

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    Adverse reactions to an otherwise harmless food or food component

    that involve an abnormal response of the bodys immune system

    IgE-mediated responses, immediate hypersensitivity responses

    usually within minutes or a few hours after ingestion

    Non IgE-mediated immune reactions (IgG, IgA) or cell-mediated

    immunity (celiac disease, cows milk, egg, soy sensitivity) in the

    latter case, symptoms usually occur >8 hrs after ingestion

    Food allergies

    IgE-mediated

    Anaphylactic shock, gastro-intestinal disorders, urticaria(hives), diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain

    Cell-mediated reactions

    Small intestine inflammation, malabsorption, diarrhea, bonepain

    Most common food allergens

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    More than 170 foods cause food allergies

    Eight foods are responsible for >= 90% of all allergic

    reactions

    Cows milk

    Eggs

    Fish

    Crustaceans

    Peanuts Soybeans

    Tree nuts

    Wheat

    Most common food allergens

    Properties of allergens

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    Virtually all allergens are proteins BUT not allproteins are food allergens

    Foods contain tens of thousands of proteins -

    very few are allergens Most allergens are stable to digestion and

    processing

    Major allergens tend to be abundant proteins

    Many, but not all food allergens have beencloned and characterized (The Codex AlimentariusCommission)

    Properties of allergens

    Analysis for allergenicity

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    Source of protein Allergic sourcesreasonable evidence of IgE mediated oral,

    respiratory, or contact allergy

    Amino acid sequence homology

    >=35% identity in window of 80 amino acids

    Contiguous epitope size should be scientifically justifiable Pepsin resistance

    Strongly recommended, although other digestive models could beused with justification

    Specific serum screening

    If allergic source or sequence homology with allergens If protein from allergenic source, negative result here may still

    require additional studiesskin prick test, etc

    Absolute exposure to the novel protein and the effects of relevantfood processing will contribute to the overall conclusion aboutpotential allergenicity.

    Analysis for allergenicity

    Pepsin digestibility model

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    Protein

    Stability (minutes)

    Whole Protein FragmentsEgg Allergens

    ovalbumin 60 -

    ovomucoid 8 -

    conalbumin 0 15

    Soybean Allergensbeta-conglycinin (beta subunit) 60 -

    beta-conglycinin (alpha subunit) 2 60

    soy lectin 15 -

    Gly m1 0.5 8

    Mustard Allergens

    Sin a1 60 -

    Peanut Allergens

    Ara h2 60 -

    peanut lectin 8 -

    Pepsin digestibility model

    Pepsin digestibility model

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    Protein

    Stability (minutes)

    Whole Protein Fragments

    Common Plant Proteins

    glycoate reductase (spinach) 0.25 (15 sec) -

    Rubisco LSU (spinach leaf) 0 (< 15 sec) -

    PEP carboxylase 0 (< 15 sec) -

    lipoxygenase (soybean seed) 0 (< 15 sec) -

    acid phosphatase (potato) 0 (< 15 sec) -

    phosphofructose kinase (potato) 0 (< 15 sec) -

    Transgenic Proteins

    Cry1A 0.5 (30 sec) -

    Cry2 0 (< 15 sec) -

    Cry3 0 (< 15 sec) -

    CP4 EPSPS 0 (< 15 sec) -

    mEPSPS 0 (< 15 sec) -

    GOX 0 (< 15 sec) -

    Pepsin digestibility model

    Assessment strategy

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    Source of the introduced protein

    Amino acid sequence homology

    Pepsin resistance

    Specific serum screening

    Absolute exposure

    Totality of assessments (weight of evidence) provides

    reasonable assurance that foods will not be renderednewly allergenic

    Assessment strategy

    Brazil nut allergen in soybean

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    2S methionine-rich albumin was

    transferred from the Brazil nut to soybean

    as a means of enhancing poultry feed

    2S albumin is a major Brazil nut allergen

    Because allergic response was an

    anticipated possibility, transgenic soybean

    extracts were tested on patients allergic toBrazil nuts using skin-prick assays during

    the development phase of the project

    Brazil nut allergen in soybean

    Skin prick testing Brazil Nut

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    Skin prick testing Brazil Nut

    Conclusions on allergenicity test

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    GM foods that are to be commercialized should beassessed for allergenicity except where there is a history

    of safe consumption e.g., viral coat proteins

    Considering the source, amino acid sequence homology,

    and pepsin digestibility are the basic tools Serum screening (specific and/or targeted) may not be

    warranted in most casesstill may need human studies

    (skin prick test)

    Further studies are needed to determine thresholds, ifany, for sensitization

    In the future, animal models could be a valuable tool for

    predicting allergenicity, but currently they are inadequate

    g y