Mutagenesis May Induce More Genetic Changes than Transgenesis

Crops obtained through natural breeding strategies such as mutagenesis are not considered as genetically modified although their genomes are deliberately altered.

A team of scientists from Portugal analyzed the gene expression, using DNA microarray, in several gamma irradiated mutant rice lines and compared it with transgenic lines expressing an anticancer antibody. They found that modification of crop traits, either by transgene introduction or mutagenesis, may cause stress that may lead to a modification in the expression of non-target genes. In the study, the scientists observed that the alteration was more extensive in the mutant than in transgenic lines.

The team suggested that the safety assessment for improved crop varieties be carried out in a case to case basis, and not simply restricted to varieties obtained through genetic engineering.

Read the full paper published by PNAS at http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/0707881105v1