A Qualitative Approach for the Assessment of the Genetic Stability of the MON 810 Trait in Commercial Seed Maize Varieties

Maize MON 810 is one of the European Union (EU) authorised genetically modified organisms (GMO) for placing on the food and feed market. The total number of MON 810 varieties registeredin the European Common Catalogues of varieties of agricultural plant species has almost tripled since 2005. One ofthe requirements described in EU legislation, namely the genetic stability of GM seed varieties, was thus assessed by analysing the intactness of the entire MON 810 integration and its genotypic stability in commercial varieties available on the market for at least the last two years. A combined strategy using qualitative analytical methods made possible to determine the presence/absence of the individual genetic elements and of the whole GM construct. The restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)patterns obtained from amplified whole constructs by long PCR were compared side by side. CryIA(b) protein expression levels were determined by ELISA. Twenty-four out of the 26 analysed varieties met the expected stability features. One variety gave negative results in all assays and one variety contained the necessary genetic elements for expressing CryIA(b) protein, although giving negative results for the long PCR product. To our knowledge, this study is the first post-marketing stability analysis performed on GM commerical seed varieties.

QUERCI Maddalena;  BALLA Branko;  PROSPERO Adelina;  ERMOLLI Monica;  VAN DEN EEDE Guy;  AGUILERA Margarita; 

2008-10-21

SPRINGER

JRC45337

1936-9751,   

http://www.springerlink.com/content/y8834gu22k61m47k/,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC45337,   

10.1007/s12161-008-9035-2,