Fate of transgenic soybean DNA and immune response of broilers fed genetically modified DP-3Ø5423-1 soybean.

Increased use of genetically modified (GM) plants in the food and feed industry has raised several concerns about the presence of unwanted genes in the food chain and potential associated health risks. In recent years, several studies have compared the nutrient contents of GM crops to conventional counterparts, and some have also tracked the fate of novel DNA fragments and proteins in the gastrointestinal (GIT) and their presence in several tissues. This study was conducted to investigate the fate of transgenic PHP19340A DNA fragment containing gm-fad2-1 (Soybean Event DP-3Ø5423-1) gene in digestive tract contents, blood, internal organs, and muscle tissues. The effects of feeding DP-3Ø5423-1 full-fat soybean meal (FFSBM) to broiler chickens on immune response and blood profiles were also evaluated on d 35. Day-old Ross 308 birds (n = 480) were randomly allocated to 24 floor pens in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with diet and gender as main factors. Birds were fed diets containing 20% of either DP-3Ø5423-1 or non-GM FFSBM for 35 d. Data were subjected to a 2-way ANOVA using the GLM procedure of JMP (Pro13). Based on PCR analysis, transgenic PHP19340A DNA fragment containing gm-fad2-1 gene was degraded throughout the digestive system to reach undetectable level in the cecal digesta. Moreover, there was no transgenic gene translocation to blood, organs, or muscle tissue. Feeding DP-3Ø5423-1 FFSBM to broilers had no effect on mRNA abundance of IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-6, IL-12B, IL-17A, IFNγ, TNFα, and NF-κB in the spleen or on blood profile. In conclusion, these findings indicate that the examined transgenic fragment in DP-3Ø5423-1 FFSBM progressively degraded in the GIT and did not translocate into blood or tissues. Along with the immune response and blood profile findings, it can be assumed that DP-3Ø5423-1 soybean is safe and unlikely to pose any health risks to broilers or consumers.

Lipid metabolites in seeds of diverse Gossypium accessions: molecular identification of a high oleic mutant allele.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Genetically diverse cottonseeds show altered compositions and spatial distributions of phosphatidylcholines and triacylglycerols. Lipidomics profiling led to the discovery of a novel FAD2 - 1 allele, fad2 - 1D - 1 , resulting in a high oleic phenotype. The domestication and breeding of cotton for elite, high-fiber cultivars have led to reduced variation of seed constituents within currently cultivated upland cotton genotypes. However, a recent screen of the genetically diverse U.S. National Cotton Germplasm Collection identified Gossypium accessions with marked differences in seed oil and protein content. Here, several of these accessions representing substantial variation in seed oil content were analyzed for quantitative and spatial differences in lipid compositions by mass spectrometric approaches. Results indicate considerable variation in amount and spatial distribution of pathway metabolites for triacylglycerol biosynthesis in embryos across Gossypium accessions, suggesting that this variation might be exploited by breeders for seed composition traits. By way of example, these lipid metabolite differences led to the identification of a mutant allele of the D-subgenome homolog of the delta-12 desaturase (fad2-1D-1) in a wild accession of G. barbadense that has a high oil and high oleic seed phenotype. This mutation is a 90-bp insertion in the 3' end of the FAD2-1D coding sequence and a modification of the 3' end of the gene beyond the coding sequence leading to the introduction of a premature stop codon. Given the large amounts of cottonseed produced around the world that is currently not processed into higher value products, these efforts might be one avenue to raise the overall value of the cotton crop for producers.