Transgene expression in sprayed and non-sprayed herbicide-tolerant genetically engineered crops is equivalent

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Biotechnology
• Genetics

Background:

• Regulatory assessments for genetically engineered (GE) crops often require transgene expression level studies.
• These studies typically include both herbicide-sprayed and unsprayed GE crop entries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether herbicides associated with herbicide-tolerant GE crops affect transgene expression.
• To evaluate the necessity of including sprayed and unsprayed GE crop entries in regulatory safety studies.

Main Methods:

• Field studies were conducted on GE maize, soybean, and cotton with multiple herbicide tolerance traits.
• Transgene product expression was measured in crop tissues throughout the growing season.
• Plots were treated with trait-related herbicides or left unsprayed.

Main Results:

• Herbicide application did not significantly alter transgene expression levels in GE crops.
• Findings align with the well-understood modes of action for herbicide tolerance traits and genetic constructs.
• The majority of commercially relevant GE herbicide-tolerance traits and herbicides were investigated.

Conclusions:

• The routine requirement for including both sprayed and unsprayed GE crop entries in transgene-expression studies may not be scientifically justified.
• Current regulatory practices for GE crop safety assessments could be streamlined based on these findings.