What is Biotechnology?

1. What is Biotechnology? Unit 4 Biotechnology Meeting Grand Forks, ND March 6, 2003 Phil McClean Department of Plant Science North Dakota State University

2. 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

3. What is the Result of Biotechnology? • An organism showing a novel trait not normally found in the species Extended shelf-life tomato (FlavrSavr Tomato) Herbicide resistant soybean (Roundup Ready Soybean)

4. Biotechnology Terms You Probably Heard Transgene – the foreign gene added to a species Ex. – modified EPSP synthase gene (encodes a protein that functions even when plant treated with Roundup) Transgenic – an organism containing a transgene introduced by technological (not breeding) methods Ex. – Roundup Ready Crops

5. Biotechnology Develops GMOs - Genetically modified organisms • GMO - an organism that expresses traits that result • from the introduction of foreign DNA • Also called transgenic organism

6. Important Terms • Breeding • Beneficial gene added from the same species • Gene delivered by mating within the species Source: USDA • Transformation • Beneficial gene added from another species • Gene delivered by plant genetic engineering Source: USDA

7. 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

8. Interspecific Cross Wheat Rye X Triticale New species, but NOT biotechnology products

9. Mutagenesis: New Trait, No Foreign Gene • Mutagenesis changes the sequence of a gene • New, useful traits can be obtained Mutagenesis Treatment Susceptible Normal Gene ATTCGA Resistant Mutant Gene ATTGGA

10. BASF Clearfield Products Mutagenesis Crops • 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

11. Crop Biotech Market Dominated By Four Countriesa 6% 3.2 mha 68% 35.7 mha 3% 1.5 mha 22% 11.8 mha Total = 99% of market a2001 growing season data.

12. Transgenic Crops Increasing In the USa a Source: NASS Planting Reports, 2001, 2002. b2002 US acreage = 73 million; ND acreage = 2.6 million c2002 US acreage = 79 million; ND acreage = 1.2 million d2002 US acreage = 1.6 million; ND acreage = 1.3 million

13. Agriculture Products On the Market Insect resistant cotton • Bt toxin kills the cotton boll worm • toxin gene from a bacteria Source: USDA Insect resistant corn • Bt toxin kills the European corn borer • toxin gene from a bacteria • Rootworm GM approved (2/26/03) Normal Transgenic

14. Herbicide resistant crops • current: soybean, corn, canola • coming: sugarbeet, lettuce, strawberry, alfalfa, potato, wheat (2005) • resistance gene from bacteria Source: Monsanto Virus resistance • papaya, squash, potato • resistance gene from a virus

15. Roundup Ready Soybean No Yield Drag or (Advantage) North Dakota 2002 Data aData collected by Dr. Ted Helms, NDSU b# of varieties in trial in parenthesis

16. Roundup Ready Soybean Reduces Expensesa aData provided by Dr. Duane Burgland, NDSU.

17. Crop Biotechnology Grew Worldwide In 2002 • 145 million acres (11% growth) • 6 million farmers (20% growth) • 16 countries (up from 13: India, Colombia, Honduras) Historically, the most rapidly adopted new agricultural technology

18. Biotechnology Crops Worldwide Acreage 2002 Soybean: 90.2 million acres (10% growth) Corn: 30.6 million acres (27% growth) Canola: 16.8 million acres (no change)

19. Economic Effect of Bt Cotton In China • $200/acre increase in income • $750 million increase nationally

20. Biotech Crops Can Be Environmentally (and Yield) Friendly 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% level From: Science (2003) 299:900

21. Bacterial and Animal Biotechnology Products Biotech chymosin • enzyme used to curdle milk products • gene from yeast • harvested from GE bacteria • replaces the calf enzyme Source: Chr. Hansen bST (bovine somatotropin) • increases milk production • gene from cow • protein harvested from GE bacteria • replaces cow protein originally • harvested from pituitary glands • of slaughtered cows Source: Rent Mother Nature

22. Next Generation of Ag Biotech Products Golden Rice • Increased Vitamin A content • Transgenes from bacteria and daffidol • Controversory: large amount needed to • solve problem Sunflower • White mold resistance • Resistance gene from wheat Source: Minnesota Microscopy Society

23. Turfgrass • Herbicide resistance • Slower growing • reduced mowing = reduced pollution Bio Steel • Spider silk strongest known protein • Protein expressed in goat milk • Protein used to make soft-body, • bullet proof vests (Nexia)

24. Field Testing Permits Tell Us What is Coming Field Trial Data: Jan 2001 – Today (n=2540) 2001-03 data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)

25. Where Are the GM Crops Tested in the US? ND #23 230 (3) IA #4 1,022 (12) CA #5 990 (12) IL #2 1,292 (16) PR #3 1,063 (13) HA #1 1,437 (17) Data: 1993-present: State rank, # trials, % total trials Information Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)

26. Corn is the Current Main Focus 2001-03 data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)

27. The Traditional Traits Predominant 2001-03 data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)

28. But Some Novel Traits Are Being Tested 2001-03 data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)

29. What’s Coming for Wheat?? 2001-03 data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)

30. Some Ag Biotech Products Are Discontinued Why??? • Poor Quality • FlavrSavr tomatoes (Calgene) • Negative Consumer Response • Tomato paste (Zeneca) • Negative Corporate Response • NewLeaf (Monsanto) • Universal Negative Publicity • StarLink corn (Aventis)

31. Biotechnology and Health

32. What is Biopharming? Biopharming Definition Growing transgenic crops that express pharmaceutical products Examples: Drugs Antibodies Proteins

33. Why use this technology? Familiar Production Systems • 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

34. Edible Vaccines – A Biopharming Dream Biotech 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: • Diarrhea • Hepatitis B • Measles

35. Future Health-related Biotech Products Vaccines • Herpes • hepatitis C • AIDS • malaria Tooth decay • Streptococcus mutans, the mouth bacteria • releases lactic acid that destroys enamel • engineered Streptococcus mutans • does not release lactic acid • destroys the tooth decay strain

36. Environmental Applications Indicator bacteria • contamination is detected in the environment • microbes sensitive to certain pollutants Bioremediation • cleanup contaminated sites • uses microbes designed to degrade • the pollutant

37. Recent Crop Biotechnology News The 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

38. 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

39. 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

40. US Response to the EU Regulations • 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 RepresentativeRobert 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)

41. Different Countries Different 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

42. What Are the Public Concerns? Economics Are we changing the economics on the farm? Environmental Are we irreversibly modifying the environment?   Globalization Is technology becoming centralized in too few hands? Social Will we develop a class of genetic outcasts? Religious Are we playing God?