Monitoring of possible horizontal gene transfer from transgenic potatoes to soil microorganisms in the potato fields and the emergence of variants in Phytophthora infestans.
To examine the possibility of horizontal gene transfer between transgenic potatoes and microorganisms in potato fields, the gene flow from transgenic potatoes containing nucleoside diphosphate kinase 2 (NDPK2) gene to microorganisms in soils was investigated. The soil samples collected from the potato fields from March to October in 2007 were examined by PCR, Southern hybridization, and AFLP fingerprinting. The NDPK2 gene from soil genomic DNAs was not detected by both PCR and Southern hybridization, indicating that gene-transfer did not occur in the potato fields. In addition, no discrepancy was found in pathogenicity and noticeable changes for the appearance of variants of Phytophthora infestans in each generation when serial inoculations and the analysis of genomic DNAs by AFLP was conducted. Thus, these data suggest that transgenic potatoes do not give significant impacts on the communities of soil microorganisms and the emergence of variants although continued research efforts may be necessary to make a decisive conclusion.
Kim
Sung Eun
SE
Division of Biosystems Research, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon 305-806, Korea.
Moon
Jae Sun
JS
Kim
Jung Kyu
JK
Yoo
Ran Hee
RH
Choi
Won Sik
WS
Lee
Eun Na
EN
Lee
Sang Han
SH
Kim
Sung Uk
SU
D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D014644:Genetic Variation; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase / Q000235:genetics; D055750:Phytophthora infestans / Q000235:genetics*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics* / Q000469:parasitology; D012987:Soil / Q000469:parasitology; D011198:Solanum tuberosum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000469:parasitology
D010940:Plant Proteins; D012987:Soil; C121988:nucleoside diphosphate kinase 2; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase