See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/257804883 Gene technology in agriculture, environment and biopharming: beyond Bt-rice and building better breeding budgets for crops ARTICLE in JOURNAL OF PLANT BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY · OCTOBER 2012 Impact Factor: 1.09 · DOI: 10.1007/s13562-012-0128-z CITATIONS READS 2 59 11 AUTHORS, INCLUDING: Mohsin Abbas Zaidi Jason El Bilali Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada University of Ottawa 25 PUBLICATIONS 165 CITATIONS 1 PUBLICATION 2 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE George Styles Illimar Altosaar University of Ottawa University of Ottawa 2 PUBLICATIONS 2 CITATIONS 166 PUBLICATIONS 2,844 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, Available from: Illimar Altosaar letting you access and read them immediately. Retrieved on: 29 October 2015 J. Plant Biochem. Biotechnol. (October 2012) 21 (Suppl 1):S2–S9 DOI 10.1007/s13562-012-0128-z REVIEW ARTICLE Gene technology in agriculture, environment and biopharming: beyond Bt-rice and building better breeding budgets for crops Mohsin Abbas Zaidi & Jason El Bilali & Adam Gregory Koziol & Tonya L. Ward & George Styles & Trevor J. Greenham & Whitney Michelle Faiella & Hwan Hee Son & Shen Wan & Ibrahim Taga & Illimar Altosaar Received: 7 June 2012 /Accepted: 24 July 2012 /Published online: 11 August 2012 # Society for Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology 2012 Abstract Applications of gene technology in agriculture, Keywords Bt . Bacillus thuringiensis . Crystalline the environment and human health fields are reviewed. This insecticidal protein . Cry1Ab . Entomocidal protein . case study of the intricate historical details of the develop- Mycotoxin reduction . Unintended effects . Material transfer ment of Bt crops like cotton and rice unveils essential agreement . Ricochet funding effect . Bt-cotton . Bikaneri elements of productive funding schemes and effective mul- Narma . Freedom to operate . Intellectual property rights . tinational collaborations. Gene technology applied to pest Kreenholm resistance traits in global cotton is analyzed using nation- specific data from India to demonstrate ‘ricochet’ results: Abbreviations Regulatory approval for one crop catalyzes an ‘Enhancer BMTA Biological materials transfer agreement Effect’ for promoting more research funding and more com- Bt Bacillus thuringiensis petitive results for other crops-in-waiting, namely rice. Just COST European Cooperation in the field of Scientific as cotton commerce promoted philanthropy in unpredictable and Technical Research situations like the Kreenholm dynasty of Ludwig Knoop, ECB European corn borer research budgets for pesticide and biocide technology have ENDURE European Network for Durable Exploitation of yielded intended effects, but several surprising unintended Crop Protection Strategies effects as well. Finally, the case is made for greater control GEAC Genetic Engineering Approval Committee of gene flow and identity preserve issues in plant biotech- GM Genetically modified nology research by invoking Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée GMT Genetically modified tree for Bt genes. ICP Insecticidal crystal protein IP Intellectual property IP Identity preserve This article is based on a paper first presented at the International IPRB International Program on Rice Biotechnology Conference on Plant Biotechnology for Food Security: New Frontiers- ISI Institute for Scientific Information 2012 New Delhi, India 21–24 February 2012 in Session IX Biotic and MTA Material transfer agreement Abiotic Stress Management, chaired by Professors S. Sopory and A. RF The Rockefeller Foundation Mattoo. SCI Science Citation Index M. A. Zaidi : J. El Bilali : A. G. Koziol : T. L. Ward : G. Styles : T. J. Greenham : W. M. Faiella : H. H. Son : S. Wan : I. Taga : I. Altosaar (*) Agricultural Biotechnology Laboratories, Introduction Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, The Rockefeller Foundation based in New York City funded 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada an International Program on Rice Biotechnology (IPRB) e-mail: [email protected] from 1984 through to 1999 (Normile 1999). The goal of J. Plant Biochem. Biotechnol. (October 2012) 21 (Suppl 1):S2–S9 S3 this bold 15 year long public-sector initiative was to shore articles. The landmark achievement from this period was up food security and food sustainability (Conway and from the Bose Institute in Calcutta whose article in PNAS Toenniessen 1999; Toenniessen et al. 2003). Many have has, since 1997, attracted 118 citations to date in ISI (Nayak described the 1984 sudden shift in Foundation focus, from et al. 1997). Their particle bombardment of indica rice to broad agronomic improvement efforts across many tropical produce six highly expressive independent transgenic ICP crops to focus solely on humanity’s primal sustenance, rice lines was reflected in similar efforts to produce insect resistant (Oryza sativa), as one of the single largest concerted and rice using Agrobacterium T-DNA mediated transformation long-standing scientific experiments ever undertaken methods on japonica and subtropical javanica rice varieties (Conway and Toenniessen 2003; Herdt 2006). In 1983 from the IPRB node in Canada (Cheng et al. 1998)andin the first transgenic plants expressing the kanamycin re- collaboration with China (Shu et al. 2000). sistance gene had just been reported at the Miami-Winter If one considers that such international funding of tar- Symposium (Van Montagu 2003). Thus it was logical for geted research requires gestation time, then one can consider a global organization like The Rockefeller Foundation the subsequent, equivalent ten-year window time period of (RF), one especially devoted to small-scale food pro- 1994–2003. Search terms ‘thuringiensis’ and ‘India’ yield ducers, to take note of the advent of recombinant DNA 176 ISI records. Following Nayak et al. 1997, the second techniques applied to plant science. So we are now, not most highly cited work is that from the Centre for Research only nearing the tri-decadal anniversary of genetically in Medical Entomology in Madurai on using classical Bt modified (GM) plants in 2013, but also the 30 year spray formulations for controlling mosquitoes (Rao et al. anniversary of rice biotech in 2014. Consequently it is 1995). Needless-to-say basic research on rice biotech has an appropriate time for all plant biotechnologists, farmers only continued to intensify to this day. and food consumers to assess constraints and opportuni- Commercial agricultural biotechnology was heralded by ties that have arisen from the early days when fierce India in March 2002 when three Bt-cotton hybrids were competition among Jeff Schell, Marc van Montagu, approved for commercial cultivation. Both the Genetic Mary-Dell Chilton, Eugene Nester, Robert Fraley, Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) and the Robert Horsch and others created the gene transfer meth- Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of ods now available for all to use in accelerating crop India at its 32nd meeting in New Delhi approved the three improvement. Bt-cottons for release. The transgenic hybrids were devel- oped by MAHYCO (Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company Limited) in collaboration with Monsanto based in Saint Gene technology applied to pest resistance Louis, Missouri, and these technology partnerships were effected by other seed companies like Rasi Seeds (P) Ltd. as One of the first breeding goals for crop improvement in rice well. The Bt-cotton strains contained the lepidopteran specific was to confer insect resistance from Bacillus thuringiensis Bt gene, cry1Ac with Event MON 531 (Bollgard®). Releasing genes to elite rice varieties. From 1984 to 1993 (the first this agricultural technology was a new form of ‘green revolu- 10 years of RF funding) the Institute for Scientific tion’ in India as the new germplasm offered protection against Information (ISI) database (Thomson Reuters Web of all the major species of Indian bollworms - Helicoverpa Science) shows that for India, as an example, there were armigera (Old world bollworm), Pectinophora gossypiella 48 articles published on this topic (using ‘thuringiensis’ as a (Pink bollworm), Earias vittella (Spotted bollworm) and search-term and ‘India’ as an address term). That represents E. insulana (Spiny bollworm). an average of 4.8 papers per year of the RF-IPRB Program. In that set of studies, the most highly cited article from the first decade of infusion of funding was a report on the Regulatory approval for one crop catalyzes instability of mRNA encoding insecticidal crystal protein an ‘Enhancer Effect’ for other crops-in-waiting (ICP) genes of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in electroporated carrot cells and transgenic tobacco plants (Murray et al. As a strong emerging global economy, India’s strategies and 1991). That collaboration was between Madurai Kamaraj tactics to maximize social goods are ardently analyzed. For University and Universities of Georgia and Wisconsin in the example the case of agri-chemical industries, whether they USA. With increased funding and more training of highly should enjoy a process-patent policy or a product-patent qualified personnel in plant molecular biology the produc- regulatory landscape, offers an interesting backdrop for tivity record shows that money more than tripled the amount better appreciating the future of plant biotechnology under-