Fwd: GM Microbes Invade North America

[Guest guest]

press-release wrote:Thu, 24 Apr 2003 18:20:41 +0100

GM Microbes Invade North America

press-release

 

The Institute of Science in Society

Science Society Sustainability

http://www.i-sis.org.uk

 

General Enquiries sam

Website/Mailing List press-release

ISIS Director m.w.ho

===================================================

 

GM Microbes Invade North America

*******************************

While the attention of the world is focused on genetically modified (GM) crops,

GM microbes have been released for at least six years with little or no public

awareness or debate. Prof. Joe Cummins jcummins reports.

 

The full list of references for this article are posted on ISIS Members’ website

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/full/GMMINAFull.php. Membership details here

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/membership.php.

 

A number of GM microbes are being widely deployed since their first release six

years ago.

 

Sinorhizobium meliloti is a bacterium added to soil or inoculated into seeds to

enhance nodule formation and nitrogen fixation in the roots of legumes. It was

released for commercial production in 1997.

 

The other commercial GM microbes are designated as bio-pesticides. These include

GM Agrobacterium radiobacter k1026, used to prevent crown gall disease in fruit

and vegetable plants, and Pseudomonas fluorescens modified with a number of

different Cry delta-endotoxin genes from different subspecies of Bacillus

thruingiensis (Bt). The modified P. fluorescens cultures are killed by heat

pasteurization and provides a persistent biopesticide preparation that degrades

much slower in sunlight than Bt.

 

Neither the people selling nor those using the preparations are necessarily

aware that the microbes are genetically modified, however. Even organic farmers

may be using them inadvertently.

 

The legume symbiont, Sinorhizobium meliloti, is tremendously important for

fixing nitrogen from the air into plant roots and the soil. Legumes signal to

the bacterium by exuding flavonoids from their roots, activating the expression

of nodulation genes in the bacterium, resulting in the production of Nod factors

that regulate the formation of nitrogen fixing root nodules [1]. The S. meliloti

genome has been fully sequenced. It is unusual in containing three chromosomes

(or a chromosome and two very large plasmids), all of them contributing to the

symbiosis with the plant roots [2]. The genetically modified commercial strain

(RMBPC-2) has genes added that regulate nitrogenase enzyme (for nitrogen

fixation) along with genes that increase the organic acid delivered from the

plant to the nodule bacterium. It also has the antibiotic resistance marker

genes for streptomycin and spectinomycin [3]. The commercial release was

permitted in spite of concerns about the impact of the GM microbe on the

environment.

 

Evidence supporting the initial concerns has accumulated but that has not

dampened the use of the GM microbe. For example, a recent review reports that GM

S. meliloti strains persisted in the soil for six years, even in the absence of

the legume hosts. Horizontal gene transfer to other soil bacteria and

microevolution of plasmids was observed [4]. Other studies showed that a soil

micro arthropod ingested GM S. meliloti, and a GM E. coli in the arthropod gut

facilitated gene transfer to a range of bacteria [5].

 

There is little doubt that the antibiotic resistance markers for streptomycin

and spectinomycin will be transferred to soil bacteria and to a range of animal

pathogens. For example, the resistance genes for streptomycin could be observed

to transfer from their insertion as transgenes in plant chloroplast to infecting

bacterium Actinobacter sp. [6] when homologous gene sequences were present.

 

The antibiotics spectinomycin and streptomycin are used extensively in human and

animal medicine. Spectinomycin is used to treat human gonorrhea [7] and bovine

pneumonia [8]. Streptomycin is used to treat human tuberculosis [9] and

Meniere’s disease [10] and as a pesticide on fruits and vegetables [11]. Thus,

the commercial release of GM Sinorhizobium meliloti has resulted in the

establishment of the GM microbe in the soil in millions of acres of cropland,

where it can spread antibiotic resistance genes for antibiotics that are

extensively in use in medicine and agriculture.

 

Agrobacterium radiobacter k1026 [12] is a bio-pesticide derived from A.

radiobacter k84, a natural bacterium used to control the crown gall disease of

fruits and ornamental trees and shrubs. Crown gall disease is due to the

bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens that causes tumors to form on the plant

stems, and is the most common vector employed in plant genetic engineering.

 

GM Agrobacterium radiobacter releases a chemical warfare agent bacteriocin

(agrocin) against A. tumefaciens. Bacteriocin is a novel nucleic acid derivative

that prevents the crown gall tumors from forming in the infected plants. The GM

A. radiobacter has an engineered deletion in the genes controlling plasmid

transfer so that the ‘male’ bacterium cannot transfer its plasmid, but it can

act as a ‘female’ to receive a plasmid transfer. However, recent research

suggests that retrotransfer of genetic material can occur from ‘female’

recipient to ‘male’ donor bacterium [13].

 

Pseudomonas flourescens strains modified with Cry delta endotoxin genes from

Bacillus thuringiensis are killed before being marketed [14]. The killed GM

bacteria are more persistent than are the conventionall B. thuringiensis sprays.

The main fallacy in the approval of these biopesticides is to suppose that

bacteria cannot enjoy sex (conjugation) after death, they do.

 

Soil bacteria are also easily transformed with cell lysates (squashed dead

cells) and function in their genetically modified form in soil microcosms [15].

P. fluorescens and A. tumefacians are both transformed in soil [16]. Soil

Pseudomonas and Actinobacter can also take up genes from transgenic plants [17].

So, the combination of transgenic crops and GM biopesticides can create genetic

combinations capable of devastating the soil microflora and microfauna.

 

In conclusion, GM microbes have begun to be ubiquitous invaders of the North

America ecosystem. This massive invasion took place with little or no public

awareness and input, and with very little monitoring of the impact of the

invasion. The environmental risk assessments of the commercial microbes were

rudimentary and frequently erroneous. We may have a bio-weapons equivalent of a

time bomb on our hands.

 

The full list of references for this article are posted on ISIS Members’ website

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/full/GMMINAFull.php. Membership details here

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/membership.php.

 

===================================================

This article can be found on the I-SIS website at

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GMMINA.php

If you would prefer to receive future mailings as HTML please let us know.

If you would like to be removed from our mailing list - please reply

to press-release with the word in the subject field

===================================================

CONTACT DETAILS

The Institute of Science in Society, PO Box 32097, London NW1 OXR

telephone: [44 20 8643 0681] [44 20 7383 3376] [44 20 7272 5636]

 

General Enquiries sam

Website/Mailing List press-release

ISIS Director m.w.ho

 

MATERIAL IN THIS EMAIL MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT PERMISSION, ON

CONDITION THAT IT IS ACCREDITED ACCORDINGLY AND CONTAINS A LINK TO

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/

 

 

Gettingwell- / Vitamins, Herbs, Aminos, etc.

 

To , e-mail to: Gettingwell-

Or, go to our group site: Gettingwell

 

 

 

 

The New Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.

 

 

[Guest guest]

Comments?

 

Misty

 

http://www..com

 

 

 

GM Microbes Invade North America

 

The Institute of Science in Society

Science Society Sustainability

http://www.i-sis.org.uk

 

General Enquiries sam

Website/Mailing List press-release

ISIS Director m.w.ho

===================================================

 

GM Microbes Invade North America

*******************************

While the attention of the world is focused on genetically modified (GM) crops,

GM microbes have been released for at least six years with little or no public

awareness or debate. Prof. Joe Cummins jcummins reports.

 

The full list of references for this article are posted on ISIS Members’ website

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/full/GMMINAFull.php. Membership details here

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/membership.php.

 

A number of GM microbes are being widely deployed since their first release six

years ago.

 

Sinorhizobium meliloti is a bacterium added to soil or inoculated into seeds to

enhance nodule formation and nitrogen fixation in the roots of legumes. It was

released for commercial production in 1997.

 

The other commercial GM microbes are designated as bio-pesticides. These include

GM Agrobacterium radiobacter k1026, used to prevent crown gall disease in fruit

and vegetable plants, and Pseudomonas fluorescens modified with a number of

different Cry delta-endotoxin genes from different subspecies of Bacillus

thruingiensis (Bt). The modified P. fluorescens cultures are killed by heat

pasteurization and provides a persistent biopesticide preparation that degrades

much slower in sunlight than Bt.

 

Neither the people selling nor those using the preparations are necessarily

aware that the microbes are genetically modified, however. Even organic farmers

may be using them inadvertently.

 

The legume symbiont, Sinorhizobium meliloti, is tremendously important for

fixing nitrogen from the air into plant roots and the soil. Legumes signal to

the bacterium by exuding flavonoids from their roots, activating the expression

of nodulation genes in the bacterium, resulting in the production of Nod factors

that regulate the formation of nitrogen fixing root nodules [1]. The S. meliloti

genome has been fully sequenced. It is unusual in containing three chromosomes

(or a chromosome and two very large plasmids), all of them contributing to the

symbiosis with the plant roots [2]. The genetically modified commercial strain

(RMBPC-2) has genes added that regulate nitrogenase enzyme (for nitrogen

fixation) along with genes that increase the organic acid delivered from the

plant to the nodule bacterium. It also has the antibiotic resistance marker

genes for streptomycin and spectinomycin [3]. The commercial release was

permitted in spite of concerns about the impact of the GM microbe on the

environment.

 

Evidence supporting the initial concerns has accumulated but that has not

dampened the use of the GM microbe. For example, a recent review reports that GM

S. meliloti strains persisted in the soil for six years, even in the absence of

the legume hosts. Horizontal gene transfer to other soil bacteria and

microevolution of plasmids was observed [4]. Other studies showed that a soil

micro arthropod ingested GM S. meliloti, and a GM E. coli in the arthropod gut

facilitated gene transfer to a range of bacteria [5].

 

There is little doubt that the antibiotic resistance markers for streptomycin

and spectinomycin will be transferred to soil bacteria and to a range of animal

pathogens. For example, the resistance genes for streptomycin could be observed

to transfer from their insertion as transgenes in plant chloroplast to infecting

bacterium Actinobacter sp. [6] when homologous gene sequences were present.

 

The antibiotics spectinomycin and streptomycin are used extensively in human and

animal medicine. Spectinomycin is used to treat human gonorrhea [7] and bovine

pneumonia [8]. Streptomycin is used to treat human tuberculosis [9] and

Meniere’s disease [10] and as a pesticide on fruits and vegetables [11]. Thus,

the commercial release of GM Sinorhizobium meliloti has resulted in the

establishment of the GM microbe in the soil in millions of acres of cropland,

where it can spread antibiotic resistance genes for antibiotics that are

extensively in use in medicine and agriculture.

 

Agrobacterium radiobacter k1026 [12] is a bio-pesticide derived from A.

radiobacter k84, a natural bacterium used to control the crown gall disease of

fruits and ornamental trees and shrubs. Crown gall disease is due to the

bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens that causes tumors to form on the plant

stems, and is the most common vector employed in plant genetic engineering.

 

GM Agrobacterium radiobacter releases a chemical warfare agent bacteriocin

(agrocin) against A. tumefaciens. Bacteriocin is a novel nucleic acid derivative

that prevents the crown gall tumors from forming in the infected plants. The GM

A. radiobacter has an engineered deletion in the genes controlling plasmid

transfer so that the ‘male’ bacterium cannot transfer its plasmid, but it can

act as a ‘female’ to receive a plasmid transfer. However, recent research

suggests that retrotransfer of genetic material can occur from ‘female’

recipient to ‘male’ donor bacterium [13].

 

Pseudomonas flourescens strains modified with Cry delta endotoxin genes from

Bacillus thuringiensis are killed before being marketed [14]. The killed GM

bacteria are more persistent than are the conventionall B. thuringiensis sprays.

The main fallacy in the approval of these biopesticides is to suppose that

bacteria cannot enjoy sex (conjugation) after death, they do.

 

Soil bacteria are also easily transformed with cell lysates (squashed dead

cells) and function in their genetically modified form in soil microcosms [15].

P. fluorescens and A. tumefacians are both transformed in soil [16]. Soil

Pseudomonas and Actinobacter can also take up genes from transgenic plants [17].

So, the combination of transgenic crops and GM biopesticides can create genetic

combinations capable of devastating the soil microflora and microfauna.

 

In conclusion, GM microbes have begun to be ubiquitous invaders of the North

America ecosystem. This massive invasion took place with little or no public

awareness and input, and with very little monitoring of the impact of the

invasion. The environmental risk assessments of the commercial microbes were

rudimentary and frequently erroneous. We may have a bio-weapons equivalent of a

time bomb on our hands.

 

The full list of references for this article are posted on ISIS Members’ website

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/full/GMMINAFull.php. Membership details here

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/membership.php.

 

===================================================

This article can be found on the I-SIS website at

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GMMINA.php

If you would prefer to receive future mailings as HTML please let us know.

If you would like to be removed from our mailing list - please reply

to press-release with the word in the subject field

===================================================

CONTACT DETAILS

The Institute of Science in Society, PO Box 32097, London NW1 OXR

telephone: [44 20 8643 0681] [44 20 7383 3376] [44 20 7272 5636]

 

General Enquiries sam

Website/Mailing List press-release

ISIS Director m.w.ho

 

MATERIAL IN THIS EMAIL MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT PERMISSION, ON

CONDITION THAT IT IS ACCREDITED ACCORDINGLY AND CONTAINS A LINK TO

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.