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What is Biotechnology?
Phil McCleanDepartment of Plant Science
North Dakota State University
Unit 4Biotechnology Meeting
Grand Forks, NDMarch 6, 2003
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What is Biotechnology?
How about some definitions
General Definition
The application of technology to improve a biological organism
Detailed Definition
The application of the technology to modify the biological function of an organism by adding genes from another organisms
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• An organism showing a novel trait not normally found in the species
What is the Result of Biotechnology?
Extended shelf-life tomato (FlavrSavr Tomato)
Herbicide resistant soybean (Roundup Ready Soybean)
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Biotechnology Terms You Probably Heard
Transgene – the foreign gene added to a species
Ex. – modified EPSP synthase gene (encodes a protein thatfunctions even when plant treated with Roundup)
Transgenic – an organism containing a transgene introduced by technological (not breeding) methods
Ex. – Roundup Ready Crops
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Biotechnology Develops
GMOs - Genetically modified organisms
• GMO - an organism that expresses traits that result from the introduction of foreign DNA
• Also called transgenic organism
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Important Terms
• Breeding
• Transformation
Source: USDA
Source: USDA
Beneficial gene added from the same species Gene delivered by mating within the species
Beneficial gene added from another species Gene delivered by plant genetic engineering
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Let’s Be Up Front
• Breeding Biotechnology Breeding only exchanges genes found in the species Breeding can transfer the transgene to other breeding materials BUT it is not the same as biotechnology
• Biotechnology adds traits not available in the species Soybean does not have a gene to breakdown Roundup The gene comes from bacteria
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Wheat Rye
Triticale
X
Interspecific Cross
New species, but NOT biotechnology products
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ATTCGA
ATTGGA
SusceptibleNormalGene
ResistantMutantGene
MutagenesisTreatment
Mutagenesis: New Trait, No Foreign Gene
Mutagenesis changes the sequence of a gene New, useful traits can be obtained
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BASF Clearfield Products
Herbicide resistance•imidazolinones
Mutant AHAS enzyme•developed by mutagenesis
Crops• Canola, Corn, Rice, Sunflower, Wheat
In US• Not considered GMOs by USDA regulators• A Major marketing advantage• When some stacked with GMOs, the advantage lost
Mutagenesis Crops
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Crop Biotech Market Dominated By Four Countriesa
68%35.7 mha
22%11.8 mha
6%3.2 mha 3%
1.5 mha
Total = 99% of market
a2001 growing season data.
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Transgenic Crops Increasing In the USa
Crop (% total acreage)Soybeanb Cornc Canolad
Year US ND SD US ND SD US ND SD
2000 54 22 36 25 - 46 - - -
2001 68 49 80 26 25 48 75 75 -
2002 74 50 86 32 18 65 80 80 -
a Source: NASS Planting Reports, 2001, 2002.b2002 US acreage = 73 million; ND acreage = 2.6 millionc2002 US acreage = 79 million; ND acreage = 1.2 milliond2002 US acreage = 1.6 million; ND acreage = 1.3 million
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Agriculture Products On the Market
Source: USDA
Insect resistant cotton
Insect resistant corn
Normal Transgenic
Bt toxin kills the cotton boll worm toxin gene from a bacteria
Bt toxin kills the European corn borer toxin gene from a bacteria Rootworm GM approved (2/26/03)
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Virus resistance
Source: Monsanto
Herbicide resistant crops current: soybean, corn, canola coming: sugarbeet, lettuce, strawberry, alfalfa, potato, wheat (2005) resistance gene from bacteria
papaya, squash, potato resistance gene from a virus
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Locationa
Arthur, Grandin, Northwood
Wyndmere, Mooreton,
Great Bend
Soybean type Ave.Bu/A % Yield Ave. Bu/A % Yield
Conventional 46.6 (27)b 91 % 45.5 (26) 100 %
Roundup Ready
51.5 (78) 100 % 44.1 (80) 97 %
aData collected by Dr. Ted Helms, NDSUb# of varieties in trial in parenthesis
Roundup Ready SoybeanNo Yield Drag or (Advantage)
North Dakota 2002 Data
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Roundup Ready SoybeanReduces Expensesa
Soybean type
Herbicide cost
(per acre)
Conventional $27.65
Roundup Ready $15.90
aData provided by Dr. Duane Burgland, NDSU.
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Crop Biotechnology Grew WorldwideIn 2002
• 145 million acres (11% growth)• 6 million farmers (20% growth)• 16 countries (up from 13: India, Colombia, Honduras)
Historically, the most rapidly adoptednew agricultural technology
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Soybean: 90.2 million acres (10% growth)
Corn: 30.6 million acres (27% growth)
Canola: 16.8 million acres (no change)
Biotechnology Crops Worldwide Acreage2002
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Economic Effect of Bt CottonIn China
$200/acre increase in income
$750 million increase nationally
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Biotech Crops Can Be Environmentally(and Yield) Friendly
Cotton type
Bt Non-Bt Popular check
Yield (kg/ha) 1501* 833 802
# Bollworm sprays 0.62* 3.68 3.63
# Sucking insect sprays 3.57 3.51 3.45
Kg/ha insecticide 1.74* 5.56 5.43
Toxic class I 0.64* 1.98 1.94
Toxic class II 1.07* 3.55 3.46
Toxic class III 0.03 0.03 0.03
Table 1. Cotton yield and insecticide results from a large (157 sites)
trial in India during 2001.
*Means within a row are significantly different at the 5% levelFrom: Science (2003) 299:900
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Biotech chymosin
Source: Rent Mother Nature
Source: Chr. Hansen
Bacterial and Animal Biotechnology Products
enzyme used to curdle milk products gene from yeast harvested from GE bacteria replaces the calf enzyme
increases milk production gene from cow protein harvested from GE bacteria replaces cow protein originally harvested from pituitary glands of slaughtered cows
bST (bovine somatotropin)
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Next Generation of Ag Biotech Products
Source: Minnesota Microscopy Society
Golden Rice
Sunflower
Increased Vitamin A content Transgenes from bacteria and daffidol Controversory: large amount needed to solve problem
White mold resistance Resistance gene from wheat
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Turfgrass
Bio Steel
Herbicide resistance Slower growing reduced mowing = reduced pollution
Spider silk strongest known protein Protein expressed in goat milk Protein used to make soft-body, bullet proof vests (Nexia)
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Field Testing Permits Tell Us What is ComingField Trial Data: Jan 2001 – Today (n=2540)
2001-03 data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)
Organization # 2002-03 trials (%)
Monsanto 1480 (58%)
Universities 329 (13%)
Scotts 84 (3%)
Aventis 78 (3%)
Sygenta 69 (3%)
Dow 63 (2%)
USDA/ARS 60 (2%)
Prodigene 25 (1%)
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HA #11,437 (17)
PR #31,063 (13)
Where Are the GM Crops Tested in the US?
IL #21,292 (16)
IA #41,022 (12)
CA #5990 (12)
ND #23230 (3)
Data: 1993-present: State rank, # trials, % total trialsInformation Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)
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Corn is the Current Main Focus
2001-03 data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)
Crop # 2002-03 Trials (%)
Corn 1424 (56%)
Cotton 193 (8%)
Rice 146 (6%)
Wheat 141 (6%)
Soybean 124 (5%)
Alfalfa 121 (5%)
Turfgrass 89 (4%)
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The Traditional Traits Predominant
2001-03 data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)
Trait # 2002-03 Trials (%)
Insect resistance 791 (31%)
Herbicide resistance 736 (29%)
Plant quality 400 (16%)
Pathogen resistance 171 (7%)
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But Some Novel Traits Are Being Tested
2001-03 data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)
Trait # 2002-03 Trials (%)
Yield 105 (4%)
Amino acid content 94 (4%)
Sugar content 44 (2%)
Oil content 42 (2%)
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What’s Coming for Wheat??
2001-03 data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)
Trait % 2002-03 Wheat Trials
Roundup Ready 57%
Protein content 10%
Yield 8%
Fusarium resistance 8%
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Some Ag Biotech Products Are Discontinued
Poor Quality• FlavrSavr tomatoes (Calgene)
Negative Consumer Response• Tomato paste (Zeneca)
Negative Corporate Response• NewLeaf (Monsanto)
Universal Negative Publicity• StarLink corn (Aventis)
Why???
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Biotechnology and Health
Product Use
Insulin Diabetes
Interferon Cancer
Interleukin Cancer
Human growth hormone Dwarfism
Neuroactive proteins Pain
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What is Biopharming?
Biopharming Definition
Growing transgenic crops that express pharmaceutical products
Examples:
DrugsAntibodiesProteins
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Familiar Production Systems
Why use this technology?
• Genes introduced into field crops (mostly corn)• New productions systems not needed• Producer can use traditional growing strategies
Reduced End-Product Cost
• Animal system: $1000 - $5000 per gram protein• Plant System: $1 - $10 per gram protein Source: The Roanoke Times, 2000
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Edible Vaccines – A Biopharming DreamBiotech Plants Serving Human Health Needs
• A pathogen protein gene is cloned• Gene is inserted into the DNA of plant (potato, banana, tomato)• Humans eat the plant • The body produces antibodies against pathogen protein• Human are “immunized” against the pathogen• Examples:
DiarrheaHepatitis BMeasles
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Tooth decay
Future Health-related Biotech Products
Vaccines Herpes hepatitis C AIDS malaria
Streptococcus mutans, the mouth bacteria releases lactic acid that destroys enamel engineered Streptococcus mutans does not release lactic acid destroys the tooth decay strain
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Environmental Applications
Bioremediation
Indicator bacteria
cleanup contaminated sites uses microbes designed to degrade the pollutant
contamination is detected in the environment microbes sensitive to certain pollutants
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Recent Crop Biotechnology NewsThe European Union Moratorium
• A five year EU biotech crop moratorium is in place
• Nov 2002: Labeling and traceability regulations drafted• Jan 2003: Some countries looking to go GMO-free• Feb 2003: Some EU countries want the moratorium to continue until regulations approved
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EU Labeling Regulations
• Foods with less than 0.9% of GM gene product Labeling not required
• Products derived from a GM crop Labeling required
• Applies even if the product does not contain the GM gene product • Ex: Corn syrup: does not have the Bt protein, but must be labeled
• Animal feeds from GM crops Same guidelines apply
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EU Traceability Regulations
•GMO containing food must be declared at departure point
• List does not have to be modified if part of shipment is off-loaded in route
• A compromise regulation: Some wanted documentation from each step of the route
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• United States frustrated
• Might sue under WTO policy that prevents policies that restrict trade
• USDA Secretary Veneman: The US patience was "growing very thin" and "very strong action
was needed". (Feb 27, 2003)
• US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick:
"We've tried to hold off" filing a WTO case, “but we're getting to the point where our patience is running thin." (Mar 3, 2003)
US Response to the EU Regulations
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Different CountriesDifferent Decisions
Germany (3/3/03)• Would accept biotech crops once regulations approved
Major decision: long considered an opponent to biotech crops
Taiwan (2/27/03)• Will permit field trails in 2003
Tasmania (2/28/03)• Extends biotech crop ban for five years• Wants to remain a biotech free and maintain their niche market
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What Are the Public Concerns?
EconomicsAre we changing the economics on the farm?
EnvironmentalAre we irreversibly modifying the environment?
GlobalizationIs technology becoming centralized in too few hands?
Social
Will we develop a class of genetic outcasts?
ReligiousAre we playing God?
