Product Profile – GM Waxy Corn: Corteva
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1Canadian CBAN Product Biotechnology Profile: GM Action Waxy Corn:Network Corteva Updated April 12, 2021 PRODUCT PROFILE GM Waxy Corn Corteva “CRISPR-waxy, in addition Genome editing (gene editing) techniques such as CRISPR are to delivering value to growers, a type of genetic engineering that is a product that should also results in the creation of genetically help promote public and modified organisms (GMOs). regulatory acceptance of CRISPR crops.” Name — N. Doane Chilcoat, Corteva Agriscience, Variety brand name unknown. Sold under the March, 20201 Pioneer brand. No GM Event number known. Corteva refers to it as “CRISPR-Cas waxy corn”2 Summary or “Next Gen waxy”.3 The large seed and pesticide company Corteva Agriscience has clearance to introduce a genetically Trait Promoted engineered (genetically modified or GM) corn (maize) produced through the genome editing (gene editing) Improved yield. technique called CRISPR, in Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Chile, and the company can also legally Market commercialize it in the US. The company refers to it as “CRISPR-Cas waxy corn” or “Next Gen waxy”. The current stated target markets for Corteva’s GM waxy corn are North America and Latin America4 Waxy corn has a different starch profile from other where waxy corn is a minor crop used to produce corn. In Corteva’s initial target markets of North speciality starch for some industrial uses such America and Latin America, waxy corn is currently as adhesives (e.g. for bottle labels), as well as for a minor crop used for food starch and some industrial thickening agents and carbohydrate supplements products. However, waxy corn, also known as sticky (e.g. corn starch) used in food product manufacturing. or glutinous corn, is a major food crop in East and • In the US, about a half-million acres of waxy Southeast Asia, where it originates. This is the first 5 GM waxy corn. corn are grown each year. This is less than 0.5% of US corn acres.6 Corteva is using its GM waxy corn to test out • Corteva (Pioneer) also sells waxy corn in other the regulation of, and public response to, the countries including Argentina,7 Mexico8 new genetic engineering technique of CRISPR. and Australia.9 2 CBAN Product Profile: GM Waxy Corn: Corteva • Farmers typically grow waxy corn under “identity-preserved” systems where the waxy Regulation corn is kept separate from other corn varieties.10 Corteva’s genetically engineered waxy corn has been cleared for release by government regulators in • It is unclear when, or if, the company Corteva Canada without a risk assessment, could be released in intends to commercialize its GM waxy corn. the US without further assessment, and is a category In April 2016, the company said it expected to of GMO (genetically modified organism) that is free sell to US farmers “within five years, pending from regulation in Argentina, Brazil and Chile: field trials and regulatory reviews”.11 It launched a commercial pilot in 2019,12 for a projected • Canada: In February 2020, Health Canada 2020 commercial launch.13 determined that Corteva’s GM waxy corn was “non-novel” and did not therefore need to undergo a government safety assessment: this product Company “is equivalent to varieties that have a history of safe use as food”.15 This decision was made Corteva: public in September 2020.16 • Spun off from DowDupont into an independent • US: In 2016, the US Department of Agriculture company in 2019. responded to a “Regulated Article Letter of Inquiry” from DuPont Pioneer (now Corteva) stating that • Formed in 2018 as an agricultural division of .17 DowDuPont after the merger of the two large the GM waxy corn does not need to be regulated chemical companies Dow and DuPont, including There is also a pre-market consultation process DuPont Pioneer which was the leading supplier at the Food and Drug Administration that, while voluntary, Corteva is expected to engage in,18 of waxy corn globally and the developer of 19 this GM waxy corn. but has not yet done so. • Brazil: • Second largest seed company: owns 19% In 2018, Brazil’s national biosafety authority, of the global commercial seed market.14 CNTBio, ruled that Corteva’s waxy corn was not a GMO and is not therefore be subject to the country’s • Fourth largest pesticide company: owns 11% biosafety regulations for genetically modified crops.20 of the global agrochemical market. • Argentina & Chile: Corteva says that, “Regulators in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile confirmed that if no DNA from another species is present in the plant, such plants will not be considered as GMO under their country’s law” and therefore that the waxy corn will not need government regulation.21 From Health Canada’s “List of non-novel determinations for food and food ingredients”15 3 CBAN Product Profile: GM Waxy Corn: Corteva Technology A total of six genetic sequences were inserted to introduce the deletion.23 These packages (cassettes Corteva used the genetic engineering technique of or plasmids) of DNA were inserted into cells using genome editing CRISPR-Cas9, classification SDN-1:22 particle bombardment (a gene gun): • CRISPR-Cas9 was used to knockout (inactivate) – Three genome editing plasmids: the waxy coding sequence: ° 2 encoding for the CRISPR components ° Corn kernels normally contain 75% amylopectin (CR1 and CR3 guides) and 25% amylose but the GM waxy corn kernels ° 1 encoding for the Cas9 DNA cutters contain over 97% amylopectin, essentially eliminating amylose. – Three “helper” plasmids: • This use of CRISPR-Cas9 in this case is classified as ° 1 encoding resistance to the antibiotic neomycin to an SDN-1 technique because a pair of Site-Directed assist the selection of genetically engineered cells. Nucleases (SDN) were used to cut DNA and trigger ° 2 encoding for corn morphogenic genes to increase cell repair without the use of a repair mechanism.* the efficiency of the genetic engineering process. The genes for the genome editing components were The resulting transgenic plants were then crossed with inserted into the genome of the corn using the first- a conventional hybrid to produce progeny that were generation genetic engineering technique of particle screened to select those plants that did contain any bombardment. Most first-generation GM crops such foreign DNA remaining from the process of genetic as Roundup Ready soy and insect resistant Bt corn engineering. generally have one plasmid inserted. Corteva’s GM waxy corn used six separate plasmids fired randomly *For an introduction to CRISPR and SDN classifications see at the corn’s genome. CBAN’s report, page 4: www.cban.ca/GenomEditingReport CRISPR-Cas components inserted into Corteva’s waxy corn23 CRISPR-Cas components pUC ori attL1 pUC ori pUC ori kan ubiZM1 Promoter attL1 attL1 attL2 ubiZM1 5’UTR Pinll Terminator Plasmid 1 Plasmid 2 Plasmid 3 ubiZM1 Intron Source of CR1 Source of CR3 Source of Cas9 Chr8 Promoter guide RNA guide RNA SV40 NLS-V1 zm-U6polIII zm-U6polIII cas9 Exson1 kan kan Chr8 Promoter ST-LS1 Intron cas9 Exson2 zm-Wx-CR1 zm-Wx-CR3 attL3 Guide RNA attL3 Guide RNA zm-U6polIII Chr8 Terminator zm-U6polIII Chr8 Terminator Helper components pUC ori pUC ori attL1 attL1 pUC ori attL1 zm-pltp Promoter zm-axig1 ubiZM1 Promoter kan kan Plasmid 4 Plasmid 5 kan Plasmid 6 1.3kb Promoter zm-pltp 5’UTR attL2 Source of NPTII ubiZM1 5’UTR Source of Bbm Source of Wus2 attL2 attR1 Os-T28 Terminator Pinll Terminator ubiZM1 Intron At-5-IV-2 Insulator zm-Bbm zm-Wus2 nptII In2-1 Terminator Selectable marker Morphogenic genes to facilitate plant transformation 4 CBAN Product Profile: GM Waxy Corn: Corteva Patents In the case of this GM waxy corn, Corteva says that the use of CRISPR afforded only slightly faster • Corteva (DowDuPont) holds the most patents on (“more than a year” faster) product development CRISPR technology of any company or institution over using conventional breeding with marker in the world,24 in what it calls the “broadest CRISPR assisted selection.35 patent estate in the agriculture industry”.25 • There are several patents and licensing agreements “CRISPR-waxy, in addition to delivering value that cover Corteva’s GM waxy corn. This includes to growers, is a product that should also help patents held by Corteva and licensing agreements promote public and regulatory acceptance with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the of CRISPR crops.” University of California, Berkeley, and Vilnius — N. Doane Chilcoat, Leader, Applied Science University, for different aspects of CRISPR-Cas9 and Technology, Corteva, 202036 technology.26 • The primary licensing agreement involved in “Corteva Agriscience is a leader in the field Corteva’s development of CRISPR crops is an of CRISPR for the development of agricultural agreement with the Broad Institute that gives products, specifically in row crops like corn, the company non-exclusive global rights to soybeans, sorghum and canola. We are the institute’s CRISPR-Cas9 technology for 27 committed to encouraging wide adoption all agricultural uses and applications. of this technology in agriculture...” • The president and founding director of the Broad — Corteva, company website, 202137 Institute is Eric Lander who was nominated in January 2021 to be US President Biden’s Science Advisor and head of the White House Office “The starch isolated from waxy corn kernels of Science and Technology Policy.28 Lander has some unique applications in food and owns stock in Corteva, Dupont and Dow.29 industry. It’s a modest market but an ideal one for introducing a new variety. The genetics are very straightforward, and the Why supply chain isn’t affected in any way. We can present our customers with an improved Corteva has made it clear that they are using product—one that they’re familiar and the GM waxy corn to test regulatory and public comfortable with.