Search Results for: Microbes

Text: To some, genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) are frightening – alien creations that typify the arrogance of science embodied by the well-known Frankenstein story (Kareiva and Stark, 1994). In fact, however, the vast majority of GEOs that have been produced so far are quite mundane – typically representing minor modifications of well-studied “domesticated species,” no …

Abstract: Soil properties, microbial communities, and enzyme activities were studied in soil planted with transgenic or nontransgenic papaya under field conditions. The transgenic papaya contained a replicase (RP) mutant gene of the papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), which conferred resistance to the virus, the neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPT II) marker gene, which conferred Km resistance, and …

Text: The potential problems of altering the chemical composition of crops were discussed in your Briefing1. One aspect of this debate relates to secondary metabolism, which is an attractive area to exploit because of the importance of such compounds in resistance, defence and product quality. In our view, the rules governing the evolution and role …

Abstract: Before a genetically modified plant (GMP) can be placed on the market in the European Union (EU), an environmental risk assessment has to be conducted according to EU‐Directive 2001/18/EC or Regulation (EC) No. 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council. However, no harmonized concept for ecotoxicological testing is available today that considers …

Abstract: The British Medical Association (BMA) has called for a moratorium on the commercial planting of genetically modified (GM) crops until scientists agree on their long-term environmental effects. “Once the GM genie is out of the bottle, the impact on the environment is likely to be irreversible,” says Sir William Asscher, chairman of BMA’s Board …

Abstract: Gut microbes that cannot be recovered in artificial culture may acquire and harbor genes from genetically modified plants. Keywords: horizontal gene transfer, microbes, genetically modified plants, genes, DNA Citation: Heritage, J., 2004. The fate of transgenes in the human gut. Nature Biotechnology, 22(2), p.170.

Abstract: Transgenic crops are approved for release in some countries, while many more countries are wrestling with the issue of how to conduct risk assessments. Controls on field trials often include monitoring of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from crops to surrounding soil microorganisms. Our analysis of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and of the sensitivity of current techniques …

Abstract: Biotechnologies have been utilized “ante litteram” for thousands of years to produce food and drink and genetic engineering techniques have been widely applied to produce many compounds for human use, from insulin to other medicines. The debate on genetically modified (GM) organisms broke out all over the world only when GM crops were released …

Abstract: Recently we discovered that the Cry1Ac protoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis administered to Balb/c mice intraperitoneally (i.p.) or intragastrically is a systemic and intestinal immunogen as potent as cholera toxin. To further characterize the mucosal immunogenicity of Cry1Ac we additionally tried the intranasal (i.n.) and rectal routes and used enzyme-linked immunoassays to determine anti-Cry1Ac antibody …

Abstract: Recently, a number of studies have demonstrated the profound relationship between gut microbiota (GM) alterations and behavioral changes. Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) have been shown to induce behavioral impairments, and it is possible that they mediate the effects through an altered GM. In this study, we investigated the toxic effects of GBH on GM and …

Abstract: Many neurological diseases, including autism, depression, dementia, anxiety disorder and Parkinson’s disease, are associated with abnormal sleep patterns, which are directly linked to pineal gland dysfunction. The pineal gland is highly susceptible to environmental toxicants. Two pervasive substances in modern industrialized nations are aluminum and glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide, Roundup®. In …

Abstract: Cry protein expressing insect-resistant trait is mostly deployed to control major devastating pests and minimize reliance on the conventional pesticides. However, the ethical and environmental issues are the major constraints in their acceptance, and consequently, the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops has invited intense debate. Since root exudates of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops …

Abstract: The accumulation and persistence of the insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis may result in environmental hazards, such as toxicity to nontarget species and the selection of toxin-resistant target species. Toxins from B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki were added to three soils [Kitchawan soil (which contains kaolinite but not montmorillonite) unamended or amended with montmorillonite or …

Abstract: Bacillus thuringiensis is a Gram+ spore-forming bacterium that produces parasporal crystals during sporulation that are pathogenic to insect and some other organisms (1). Preparations of bacterial spores and crystalline proteins are widely used as Bt-insecticides for the control of insect pests of crops. Bt-toxins are classified based on their specific activity against invertebrates, with …

Abstract: Biocides, such as herbicides, are routinely tested for toxicity but not for sublethal effects on microbes. Many biocides are known to induce an adaptive multiple-antibiotic resistance phenotype. This can be due to either an increase in the expression of efflux pumps, a reduced synthesis of outer membrane porins, or both. Exposures of Escherichia coli …

Abstract: Glyphosate, N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine, is the most extensively used herbicide in the history of agriculture. Weed management programs in glyphosate resistant (GR) field crops have provided highly effective weed control, simplified management decisions, and given cleaner harvested products. However, this relatively simple, broad-spectrum, systemic herbicide can have extensive unintended effects on nutrient efficiency and disease severity, …

Abstract: Background. Magnesium (Mg), as an essential mineral element for plants and microbes, can have both indirect as well as direct effects on disease. Balanced nutrition is critical for the expression of disease resistance since nutrition is part of a delicately balanced interdependent system influenced by the plant’s genetics and the environment. A deficiency or …

Text: What’s unspeakable in horizontal gene transfer? Horizontal gene transfer is the transfer of genes across species including those in different kingdoms. It goes counter to both modern genetics and the theory of evolution. Disappointingly, little of the momentous significance of the process comes across in a volume replete with detailed examples. GM foods – …

Abstract: Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide that can potentially be a phosphorus (P) source for phytoplankton and microbes when discharged into the coastal ocean. In contrast to bacteria, few eukaryotic phytoplankton species appear capable of directly utilizing glyphosate. In this study, we observed, after a long delay (>60 days), Prorocentrum donghaiense, a dinoflagellate known …

Text: Widespread distribution of genetically modified organisms (GMO) causes great biological risks for human and the Environment. Three kind of biological risks are described usually: ecological, nutrition and agrotechnical. The term genetically modified organisms (GMOs) refers to plants, microbes and animals with genes transferred from other species in order to produce certain novel characteristics (for …

Abstract: The equilibrium adsorption and binding of the active toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, toxic to lepidopteran larvae, to humic acids extracted from two forest and two cultivated soils, as well as the insecticidal activity and the biodegradation of the bound toxin, were studied. From 75 to 85% of the toxin added was rapidly …