For decades, scientists around the world have been constantly inventing and perfecting transgenic technology, and have achieved the ability to easily transfer specific genes among different species. Using this technology, we can make agricultural crops resistant to insects, diseases, and herbicides. We can also use genetically modified crops as bioreactors to produce pharmaceuticals and industrial proteins that are of great economic value, such as insulin and swine vaccines. . However, there are potential risks in the testing and promotion of genetically modified crops. When genetically modified crops are planted, they may have genetic drift due to the spread of pollen, etc., and may be transferred to other crops or wild plants. Human error may also occur. The accidental transmission of animal activities, etc., causes them to be mixed into conventional foods, affecting the authenticity of conventional foods and causing adverse consequences.
A few days ago, the research team headed by Shen Zhicheng, a professor at Zhejiang University’s College of Agriculture, invented a simple and controllable transgenic technology. The rice obtained through this technology is like being branded, if the transgenic rice “escapes†from experimental fields and conventional rice. By mixing, the transgenic rice can be easily “formed†and removed by herbicides, thus ensuring the authenticity of conventional rice varieties. This has profound implications for improving the level of safety control of transgenic crops. The research results were formally published in the US on the publication of the "Public Science Library-Integration" (PLoS ONE) magazine on March 19, and applied for a series of domestic and foreign patents.
Shen Zhicheng believes that genetically modified crops are one of the successful modern agricultural biotechnologies. However, if good technologies do not have good control methods, they may also produce unpredictable hazards. He said: "If non-transgenic rice is difficult to avoid being contaminated by transgenic rice, it will seriously affect China's safe use of transgenic technology to improve crops, but also affect the export of rice-based food products to Europe and other countries, affecting China's exports of Southeast Asian rice seeds. â€
At present, the testing and production of genetically modified crops are strictly controlled in various countries. For example, Shen Zhicheng pointed out that ProdiGene, a large American biotechnology company, once contaminated nearby crops when it produced corn, a protein that could express disease antigens, and was required by the U.S. government to purchase and destroy all potentially contaminated crops. Heavy penalties apply. "However, relying solely on strengthening physical management methods, it is difficult to completely prevent the drift, spread, and miscellaneous genes of interest." Shen Zhicheng stressed.
In the course of the study, Shen Zhicheng discovered that farmers often use bentazon as a herbicide in paddy fields because the rice contains rice herbicide detoxification enzymes. Therefore, Bentazon can kill weeds, but no rice. harm. Three years ago, a reverse thinking inspired the research group: Why not add a "surgery" to the genetic manipulation of rice to suppress the expression of detoxification genes, and the treated transgenic rice would lose its resistance to bentazon. To this end, the research group has made extensive attempts to suppress the expression of detoxification genes by using RNA interference technology in the development of new varieties of insect-resistant rice, cellulases containing rice, and lactoferrin-containing rice. The transgenic rice obtained through this technique has an "inherent defect" - no resistance to bentazone, which is exactly the opposite of conventional rice. After conducting several field trials, the research team found that the spraying of Bendazone completely eliminated all these transgenic rice mixed in conventional rice.
This also brings another problem. Bendason will remove the GM rice while weeding. How do we remove the weeds from the transgenic rice fields? The group chose to replace herbicides. They used a broad-spectrum herbicide, glyphosate, to kill weeds and conventional rice. Whenever a genetically modified rice variety was developed, it was transferred to a glyphosate resistant gene. Glyphosate can be used to remove rice from the transgenic rice fields while retaining rice.
Lin Zhaoyang, a doctoral student at the Zhejiang University of Agriculture, who is one of the project's major contributors, said: "The advantages of this technology are not only safe and controllable, but also because it can be combined with the usual weed control, so it does not increase costs. We can simply The use of Bendazosone to prevent weeds, while at the same time achieving the purpose of killing bioreactor rice." That is to say, this technology can guarantee the non-transgenic requirements of export food raw materials and export seeds. The other two project participants, Xu Xiaoli and Fang Jun, added: "This technology seems to put a magic spell on GM crops. Once they are found to escape, we can control them easily." Therefore, the invention was introduced abroad once it was introduced. Agricultural biotechnology peers think of unique ideas, clever methods and broad application prospects.
Shen Zhicheng pointed out that the reliable, simple and low-cost genetically modified rice and corn control technology is an important guarantee for China's large-scale promotion of transgenic crops, and will also be an important basis for China's participation in the competition of genetically modified industries. For the next step of the research project of the research group, Shen Zhicheng said: “We are not only applying this technology to the control of genetically modified rice. The use of its principles to develop controlled genetically modified maize is also underway.â€