Aggie the Traveling Agrobacterium

A GMO Primer Presented by : 

A GMO Primer Presented by Barbara H. Peterson Farm Wars http://farmwars.info 3

The Purpose : 

The Purpose of this show is to demonstrate how genetic engineering endangers not only our food supply,but the very planet itself. These slides illustrate the genetic engineering process, what can happen when a transformed agrobacterium (Aggie) escapes into the wild and woolly plant kingdom, and how, through shedding and horizontal gene transfer, our food supply and health are at risk. 4

Nature vs The Lab : 

Nature vs The Lab Genetic modification of plants occurs either naturally or is forced. Nature’s way has certain boundaries. For example, a fish does not cross with a plant. In a lab, anything goes. Even human genes can be used. Lab-based genetic modification forces the plant to accept foreign genes and do something it would not normally do, such as be resistant to weed killers (HT), or kill bugs (BT). 5

Who is Aggie? : 

Who is Aggie? Aggie is an agrobacterium who lives in the soil just about everywhere. She goes about infecting plants and causing them to become tumorous. This bacterium has the ability to transfer the tumor genes into a host plant. If the tumor genes are taken away from Aggie and replaced by other genes in the laboratory, then Aggie can infect the plants with these new genes. This ability is called horizontal gene transfer. 6

How is Aggie Used? : 

How is Aggie Used? These plants are then grown and harvested for the seeds. This is called genetic engineering, and the plants are genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Seeds from the GMO plants are then sold by companies such as Monsanto and DuPont (Pioneer Hi-Bred), that hold patents on the transgenes. Because of this natural ability to transfer genes, geneticists grow a special Aggie in a lab and use her to insert transgenes into plants. This is lab-based horizontal gene transfer. 7

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Why Use Aggie? : 

Why Use Aggie? Aggie’s T-DNA can be engineered with any DNA sequence without any effect on her ability to transfer this DNA into the plant. The genus Agrobacterium has a wide host range, and is able to transfer DNA to plants such as: Soybean Cotton Corn Sugar Beet Alfalfa Wheat Rapeseed (Canola oil) Creeping bentgrass Aggie is also able to transfer DNA to yeast, other fungi, and even animal and human cells. 9

What is DNA? : 

What is DNA? “Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information. DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints or a recipe, or a code, since it contains the instructions needed to construct other components of cells, such as proteins and RNA molecules.” (Wikipedia) 10

Here’s Aggie! : 

Here’s Aggie! Born in a lab - disarmed and defenseless – her natural Ti-DNA (tumor-inducing) plasmid removed, Aggie is ready to be armed with her own genetically engineered plasmid containing her original T-DNA (transfer DNA) as well as: The transgene with the desired trait Regulatory promoters such as “ the gene switch (promoter virus), the selection marker (antibiotic or herbicide resistance, fluorescing, or something else), and the stop sign.” (Dr. Susan Bardócz, PhD) 11

What is a Gene Switch? : 

What is a Gene Switch? “Viruses are practically the only life forms which can insert their own genetic material (DNA or RNA) into the cell of another organism forcing the host to produce viral proteins and genetic material. This is why viruses are so successful and also so dangerous to the host. We are told that the presence of viral genetic material from the cauliflower mosaic virus is not a problem for humans…however, the viral genetic material in transgenic plants is naked DNA. This is why it is used by the biotechnologists - it has no host specificity. In other words, it is able to infect any cell type, should it be human, animal or even bacteria.” (Dr. Susan Bardócz, PhD) All transfers require a promoter, which keeps the transgene switched on to operate in the new host. The most popular gene switch, or promoter, is the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus (CaMV). 12

What is a Selection Marker? : 

What is a Selection Marker? A selection marker is a gene that is inserted into a cell to give it antibiotic or herbicide resistance, or in some cases fluorescence. Antibiotic resistance markers are the most popular, and are used extensively to confer antibiotic resistance to the transgenic organism, allowing cells that have not taken the transgene to be eliminated, and the transgenic organisms to be revealed. The selection marker gene is used in the laboratory, but if it is not removed, remains permanently in every cell of the transformed organism. 13

What is a Stop Sign? : 

What is a Stop Sign? 14

The Replacement Plasmid DNA : 

The Replacement Plasmid DNA Aggie’s removed plasmid is genetically engineered and reinserted back into Aggie. “A plasmid is a circular, double-stranded unit of DNA that replicates within a cell independently of the chromosomal DNA. Plasmids are most often found in bacteria and are used in recombinant DNA research to transfer genes between cells.” (Answers.com) 15

How is Aggie Armed? : 

How is Aggie Armed? Well the foreign gene’s inserted in the plasmid, with the marker and promoter in the plasmid, don’t forget the stop sign in the plasmid. Oh mercy how they scare! Oh those genes, oh those genes, oh those transforming genes. Oh mercy how they scare! After all these are inserted in the plasmid, the plasmid’s inserted in the bacterium, replacing the DNA in the bacterium, Ready to be carried to the host! 16

The Transformation : 

The Transformation Aggie is armed with the new DNA, transformed and ready to carry it to the host plant. Since Aggie’s aim is not very good, the DNA insertion will be random. 17

Aggie’s Army is Formed : 

Aggie’s Army is Formed Aggie multiplies until there are enough Super Transgene Aggies to make sure that the job gets done. It takes more than one agrobacterium to do the job. 18

Super Transgene Aggie Receives Orders : 

Super Transgene Aggie Receives Orders Assemble the troops Invade the host plant Plant the DNA she received during her transformation 19

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Throw Aggie from the Train : 

Throw Aggie from the Train When Aggie’s job is done, she and her army are on the corporation’s hit list along with the non-receptive plants. 21

The Dirty Deed : 

The Dirty Deed The plants are dowsed with antibiotics or herbicides designed to kill Aggie and her army after they have accomplished their mission, as well as any non-transformed plants but she and a few buddies survive. 22

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Aggie Escapes : 

Aggie Escapes Newly-formed transgenic plants are taken to the field and grown traditionally. Aggie escapes the lab by hiding in a plant and is now in the field where the plant is growing 24

Aggie Sets up Camp : 

Aggie Sets up Camp Aggie finds a good spot to make camp and gets busy setting up living quarters, and building a family by binary fission - cell division in which two identical clone daughter cells are produced. Agrobacterium can live in the soil for up to two years, and bacterial populations can double as quickly as every 9.8 minutes. 25

Aggie Gets to Work : 

Aggie Gets to Work Aggie has not lost her talent for transferring genes, and goes about doing what she does best. Aggie continues to transfer the transgene and antibiotic or herbicide resistance marker to plant cells in the field and other bacteria, as well as eukaryotes. A eukaryote is any organism composed of one or more cells, which have a nucleus. Some fungi, insects, animals, humans, and certain plants are composed of eukaryotic organisms. 26

Meanwhile, back at the lab… : 

Meanwhile, back at the lab… Since the antibiotic and herbicide resistance marker is not removed after a plant has been successfully transformed, each transgenic plant stands ready to aid Aggie and her cohorts in the spread of both the transgene and antibiotic or herbicide resistance wherever it is stationed through uncontrolled shedding and horizontal gene transfer – the double whammy. 27

The Double Whammy : 

The Double Whammy There are two very important risks involved in the genetic engineering of our food supply: Contamination of normal crops through shedding (cross-pollination) threatens to eliminate any non-GMO sources of food we have. Antibiotic and/or herbicide resistance and the transgene contained in these plants is horizontally transferred between other bacteria in the environment, as well as eukaryotic organisms, especially when transgenic plants are consumed. 28

Contamination by Shedding : 

Contamination by Shedding Shed pollen is picked up by insects, birds,or mammals, and carried to other plants. Shed pollen is also carried by the wind and spread to other plants. The transgenes from the plants that shed the pollen and the non-GM plants that receive it and are fertilized, mix together, converting the non-GM plant to a transgenic plant. Plants shed pollen in order to fertilize themselves (self-pollination), or to fertilize other plants (cross-pollination), as shown below. 29

Antibiotic Resistance : 

Antibiotic Resistance “Most present day transgenic plants contain a gene for antibiotic resistance in their genome. [Note: the genome is the entirety of an organism’s hereditary information]. If these plants are eaten, the gene can be passed from the food or feed to the bacteria [eukaryotes] resident in the mouth and/or the intestine. It has already been shown in two laboratories that the degradation of the antibiotic resistance gene is not instantaneous but takes a few minutes. This gives enough time for the antibiotic resistant gene to be transferred to bacteria. If a bacterium managed to incorporate the resistance gene into its genome this can be easily passed on to practically all other bacteria by bacterial plasmids. As a result, resistance to antibiotics will spread in the bacterial population, making it difficult to treat many major diseases.” (Dr. Susan Bardócz, PhD) 30

More Hazards of Uncontrolled Horizontal Gene Transfer : 

More Hazards of Uncontrolled Horizontal Gene Transfer “Artificial constructs and vectors are designed to be invasive to foreign genomes and overcome species barriers. All artificial gene-constructs are structurally unstable, and hence prone to recombine and transfer horizontally. Potential hazards of horizontal gene transfer from genetic engineering include: Generation of new cross-species viruses that cause disease Generation of new bacteria that cause diseases Spreading drug and antibiotic resistance genes among the viral and bacterial pathogens, making infections untreatable Random insertion into genomes of cells resulting in harmful effects including cancer Reactivation of dormant viruses, present in all cells and genomes, which may cause diseases Spreading new genes and gene constructs that have never existed Multiplication of ecological impacts due to all of the above.” (Dr. Mae-Wan Ho, PhD) 31

Hepatitus B, HIV, and CaMV : 

Hepatitus B, HIV, and CaMV For instance, Hepatitis B, HIV and Cauliflower Mosaic virus belong to the same group. This means that the mechanism they use to invade the cells and to transfer their genetic material is very similar. So much so, that the genetic information for the virus promoter in Cauliflower Mosaic virus, HIV and Hepatitis B is 70-90% identical. It is described in the literature that if only a part of the genetic material of a virus invades the cell it cannot infect it. However, if the host cell already contains DNA/RNA from a similar virus, this can complement the genetic material of the incomplete virus and from there on the virus will be able to infect the host cell. Unfortunately it has never been tested or even considered what would happen to HIV or Hepatitis B positive people if they eat transgenic food.” (Dr. Susan Bardócz, PhD) “Viruses are divided into groups depending on what strategy they use for infecting the host. Viruses belonging to the same group are very similar genetically, although they may have different host specificity. 32

No Turning Back… : 

No Turning Back… “The problem with the creation of transgenic organisms is that there are no methods known presently which make possible the removal of the transgene escaped into the environment. There are no technical or scientific means available to stop the gene spreading or to keep it under control. Up until now every new technology, such as electricity or nuclear technology came with the possibility of stopping or turning it off in case of trouble. It was easy to cut off the power if something went wrong. It is slightly more difficult to turn off a nuclear power station but it is technically possible and it is being done. If a transgene starts to spread and its effects are harmful, there are no methods to remove it or stop it spreading.” (Dr. Susan Bardócz, PhD) 33

References : 

References Bardócz, Susan, PhD. Submission to the New Zealand Royal Commission on Genetic Modification. Retrieved from: http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/a.pusztai/NewZealand/nz-zsuzsa.htm Ho, Mae-Wan, PhD. Horizontal Gene Transfer – The Hidden Hazards of Genetic Engineering. Retrieved from: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/horizontal.php Wikipedia. Agrobacterium Tumefacians. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrobacterium_tumefaciens Wikipedia. DNA. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA Wikipedia. Restriction Modification System. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restriction_modification_system

Contact and Ordering Information : 

Contact and Ordering Information Barbara H. Peterson E-mail: barb@farmwars.info Phone: 541-728-9608 FARM WARS http://aggie.farmwars.info © 2010 All rights reserved