Method for the detection of synthetic cry3A in transgenic potatoes

All transgenic cultivars of potatoes registered in Canada and the United States have been modified to express a synthetic cry3A gene as a means of conferring resistance against the Colorado potato beetle, an important economic pest of potatoes. A PCR method was developed to amplify a 499 bp region of the synthetic cry3A gene. Using this method, synthetic cry3A could be detected in six different transgenic cultivars. Positive results could be confirmed with PvuII restriction digestion of the PCR-generated amplicon, which resulted in two fragments that were 283 and 216 bp in size. Of the 52 tuber extracts tested with this method, no false positive or false negative results were obtained, suggesting the method could be used with a high degree of accuracy. The absolute limit of detection was the number of cry3A copies present in one or perhaps two haploid copies of the potato genome. The practical limit of detection in tubers on a fresh weight basis was 0.02% for the NL 10-SUP and 0.01% for the remaining cultivars. Synthetic cry3A could also be detected in processed food products such as potato chips, shoestring potatoes, and frozen French fries. The method was suitable for screening potato tuber lots and some processed foods for the presence of synthetic cry3A.