Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T06:21:13.270Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Transgene expression and fitness of hybridsbetween GM oilseed rape and Brassica rapa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 August 2005

Henriette Ammitzbøll ,
Teis Nørgaard Mikkelsen  and
Rikke Bagger Jørgensen
Henriette Ammitzbøll
Affiliation:
Biosystems Department, Risø National Laboratory, P.O. Box 49, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Teis Nørgaard Mikkelsen
Affiliation:
Biosystems Department, Risø National Laboratory, P.O. Box 49, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Rikke Bagger Jørgensen
Affiliation:
Biosystems Department, Risø National Laboratory, P.O. Box 49, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is sexually compatible with its wild and weedy relative B. rapa, and introgression of genes from B. napus has been found to occur over a few generations. We simulated the early stages of transgene escape by producing F1 hybrids and the first backcross generation between two lines of transgenic B. napus and two populations of weedy B. rapa. Transgene expression and the fitness of the hybrids were examined under different environmental conditions. Expression of the transgenes was analyzed at the mRNA level by quantitative PCR and found to be stable in the hybrids, regardless of the genetic background and the environment, and equal to the level of transcription in the parental B. napus lines. Vigor of the hybrids was measured as the photosynthetic capability; pollen viability and seed set per silique. Photosynthetic capability of first generation hybrids was found to be at the same level, or higher, than that of the parental species, whereas the reproductive fitness was significantly lower. The first backcross generation had a significantly lower photosynthetic capability and reproductive fitness compared to the parental species. This is the first study that examines transgene expression at the mRNA level in transgenic hybrids of B. napus of different genetic background exposed to different environmental conditions. The data presented clarify important details of the overall risk assessment of growing transgenic oilseed rape.

Keywords

real time PCRFv/FmF0heterosisbiosafety
Type
Research Article
Information
Environmental Biosafety Research , Volume 4 , Issue 1 , January 2005 , pp. 3 - 12
Copyright
© ISBR, EDP Sciences, 2005

References

Angadi, SV, Cutforth, HW, Miller, PR, McConkey, BC, Entz, MH, Brandt, SA, Volkmar, KM (2000) Response of three Brassica species to high temperature stress during reproductive growth. Can. J. Plant. Sci. 80: 693–701 CrossRef
Arnold ML (1997) Natural Hybridization and Evolution. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
Arnold, ML, Hodges, SA (1995) Are natural hybrids fit or unfit relative to their parents? Trends Ecol. Evol. 10: 67–71 CrossRef
Arntz MA, DeLucia EH, Jordan N (1998) Contribution of photosynthetic rate to growth and reproduction in Amaranthus hybridus. Oecologia 117: 323–330
Arntz, MA, DeLucia, EH, Jordan, N (2000) From fluorescence to fitness: variation in photosynthetic rate affects fecundity and survivorship. Ecology 81: 2567–2576 CrossRef
Broer, I (1996) Stress inactivation of foreign genes in transgenic plants. Field Crop Res. 45: 19–25 CrossRef
Chèvre AM, Ammitzbøll H, Breckling B, Dietz-Pfeilstetter A., Eber F, Fargue A, César Gomez-Campo C, Jenczewski E, Jørgensen RB, Lavigne C, Meier MS, den Nijs H, Pascher K, Seguin-Swartz G, Sweet J, Stewart Jr. CN, Warwick S (2004) A review on interspecific gene flow from oilseed rape to wild relatives. In: den Nijs HCM, Bartsch D, Sweet J, eds, Introgression from genetically modified plants into wild relatives, CABI publishing, Oxfordshire, pp 235–251
DEFRA (1999) The hybrid oilseed rape system. http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/regulation/pgs/03.htm
Down, RE, Ford, L, Bedford, SJ, Gatehouse, LN, Newell, C, Gatehouse, JA, Gatehouse, AMR (2001) Influence of plant development and environment on transgene expression in potato and consequences for insect resistance. Transgenic Res. 10: 223–236 CrossRef
Ellstrand NC (2003) Dangerous liaisons? : when cultivated plants mate with their wild relatives. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London
Gulden, RH, Shirtliffe, SJ, Thomas, AG (2003) Harvest losses of canola (Brassica napus) cause large seedbank inputs. Weed Sci. 51: 83–86 CrossRef
Hansen, LB, Siegismund, HR, Jørgensen, RB (2001) Introgression between oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and its weedy relative B. rapa L. in a natural population. Genet. Resour. Crop Ev. 48: 621–627 CrossRef
Hansen LB, Siegismund HR, Jørgensen RB (2003) Progressive introgression between Brassica napus (oilseed rape) and B. rapa. Heredity 91: 276–283
Hauser, TP, Shaw, RG, Østergård H (1998a) Fitness of F1 hybrids between weedy Brassica rapa and oilseed rape (B. napus). Heredity 81: 429–435 CrossRef
Hauser, TP, Jørgensen, RB, Østergård H (1998b) Fitness of backcross and F2 hybrids between weedy Brassica rapa and oilseed rape (B. napus). Heredity 81: 436–443 CrossRef
Havaux, M (1993) Characterization of thermal damage to the photosynthetic electron transport system in potato leaves. Plant Sci. 94: 19–33 CrossRef
James C (2004) Preview: Global status of commercialised transgenic crops: 2004. ISAAA Briefs No 32, Ithaca, NY
Jørgensen, RB, Andersen, B (1994) Spontaneous hybridization between oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and weedy B. campestris (Brassicaceae): a risk of growing genetically modified oilseed rape. Am. J. Bot. 81: 1620–1626 CrossRef
Krause, GH, Weis, E (1984) Chlorophyll fluorescence as a tool in plant physiology. II. Interpretaion of fluorescence signals. Photosynth. Res. 5: 139–157 CrossRef
Külheim, C, Ågren, J, Jansson, S (2002) Rapid regulation of light harvesting and plant fitness in the field. Science 297: 91–93 CrossRef
Landbo, L, Jørgensen, RB (1997) Seed germination in weedy Brassica campestris and its hybrids with B. napus: Implications for risk assessment of transgenic oilseed rape. Euphytica 97: 209–216 CrossRef
Mariani, C, DeBeukeleer, M, DeBlock, N, Goldberg, RD (1990) Introduction of male sterility into plants by a chimaeric ribonuclease gene. Nature 347: 737–741 CrossRef
Mariani, C, Gossele, V, DeBeuckeleer, M, DeBlock, M, Goldberg, RB, DeGreef, W, Leemans, J (1992) A chimeric ribonuclease-inhibitor gene restores fertility to male sterile plants. Nature 357: 384–387 CrossRef
Meyer, P, Linn, F, Heidmann, I, Meyer, H, Niedenhof, I, Saedler, H (1992) Endogenous and environmental factors influence 35S promoter methylation of a maize A1 gene construct in transgenic petunia and its colour phenotype. Mol. Gen. Genet. 231: 345–352 CrossRef
Meza, TH, Kamfjord, D, Håkelien, AM, Evans, I, Godager, LH, Mandal, A, Jakobsen, KS, Aalen, RB (2001) The frequency of silencing in Arabidopsis thaliana varies highly between progeny of siblings and can be influenced by environmental factors. Transgenic Res. 10: 53–67 CrossRef
Misra AN, Srivastava A, Strasser RJ (2001) Fast chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetic analysis for the assessment of temperature and light effects: a sliding model for stress recovery phenomena. 12th Int. Congress of Photosynthesis, Brisbane
Morrison, MJ (1993) Heat stress during reproduction in summer rape. Can. J. Bot. 71: 303–308 CrossRef
Muller, PY, Janovjak, H, Miserez, AR, Dobbie, Z (2002) Processing of gene expression data generated by quantitative real-Time RT-PCR. BioTechniques 32: 1372–1379
Neumann, K, Dröge-Laser, W, Köhne, S, Broer, I (1997) Heat treatment results in a loss of transgene-encoded activities in several tobacco lines. Plant Physiol. 115: 939–947 CrossRef
Price, JS, Hobson, RN, Neale, MA, Bruce, DM (1996) Seed losses in commercial harvesting of oilseed rape. J. Agr. Eng. Res. 65: 138–191 CrossRef
Rieger, MA, Lamond, M, Preston, C, Powles, SB, Roush, RT (2002) Pollen-mediated movement of herbicide resistance between commercial canola fields. Science 296: 2386–2388 CrossRef
Rieseberg, LH (1997) Hybrid origins of plant species. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 28: 359–589 CrossRef
Snow, AA (2002) Transgenic crops – why gene flow matters. Nat. Biotechnol. 20: 542 CrossRef
Snow AA, Andersen B, Jørgensen RB (1999) Cost of transgenic herbicide resistance introgressed from Brassica napus into weedy B. rapa. Mol. Ecol. 8: 605–615
Strasser RJ, Srivastava A, Tsimili-Michael M (2000) The fluorescence transient as a tool to characterize and screen photosynthetic samples. In: Yunus M, Pathre U, Mohanty P, eds, Probing photosynthesis: mechanisms, regulation and adaptation, Taylor & Francis, London, GB, pp 445–483
Thompson CE, Squire G, Mackay GR, Bradshaw JE, Crawford J, Ramsay G (1999) Regional patterns of gene flow and its consequence for GM oilseed rape. BCPC Symposium proceedings No 72: Gene Flow and Agriculture: Relevance for Transgenic Crops, pp 95–100
Yamane, Y, Kashino, Y, Koike, H, Satoh, K (1997) Increases in the fluorescence Fo level and reversible inhibition of photosytem II reaction center by high-temperature treatments in higher plants. Photosynth. Res. 52: 57–64 CrossRef
Young, LW, Wilen, RW, Bonham-Smith, PC (2004) High temperature stress of Brassica napus during flowering reduces micro- and megagametophyte fertility, induces fruit abortion, and dirsrupts seed production. J. Exp. Bot. 55: 485–495 CrossRef
Zhu, B, Lawrence, JR, Warwick, SI, Mason, P, Braun, L, Halfhill, MD, Stewart, CN (2004) Stable Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin content in interspecific F1 and backcross populations of wild Brassica rapa after Bt gene transfer. Mol. Ecol. 13: 237 CrossRef