title: Review: biosafety assessment of Bt rice and other Bt crops using spiders as example for non-target arthropods in China.
abstract: Since the birth of transgenic crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin for pest control, the public debate regarding ecological and environmental risks as well as benefits of Bt crops has continued unabated. The impact of Bt crops, especially on non-target invertebrates, has received particular attention. In this review, we summarize and analyze evidences for non-target effects of Bt rice on spiders, major predators in rice fields. Bt rice has been genetically modified to express the Bt protein, which has been shown to be transferred and accumulate in spiders as part of their food chain. Moreover, the Bt protein exhibits unintended effects on the physiology of spiders and spreads to higher trophic levels. Spiders possess unique physiological and ecological characteristics, revealing traits of surrogate species, and are thus considered to be excellent non-target arthropod model systems for study of Bt protein impacts. Due to the complexities of Bt protein transfer and accumulation mechanisms, as well as the apparent lack of information about resulting physiological, biochemical, and ecological effects on spiders, we raise questions and provide recommendations for promising further research.
authors.affiliation: College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agriculture University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China.|College of Orient Science & Technology, Hunan Agriculture University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Huilin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bast Fiber Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha, 410205, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Yuande
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: College of Continuing Education, Hunan Agriculture University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Jianxiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agriculture University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agriculture University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Jilin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
authors.forename: Qisheng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agriculture University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China. wangzhispider@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002681:China; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology; D013112:Spiders / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004731:Endotoxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; C030956:insecticidal crystal protein, Bacillus Thuringiensis
keywords: Bt rice; GM crops; Non-target effects; Spider ecology; Spiders