Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Correspondence
  • Published:

GM soybeans—revisiting a controversial format

Nature Biotechnology volume 25, pages 1351–1354 (2007)Cite this article

To the editor:

I was grateful to you for inviting me to discuss some of my experimental results in Nature Biotechnology; however, the Feature entitled “[Genetically modified] GM soybeans and health safety—a controversy reexamined,” as published in the September issue1, presents a flawed picture of my work. Although I thank Bruce Chassy, Val Giddings, Vivian Moses and Alan McHughen (Chassy et al.) for their detailed analysis of my work, remarks and recommendations, I am concerned that your readers will be misled by several of their comments. I also would like to clarify some issues concerning the manner in which this article was commissioned, a process that raises questions about editorial standards and practice at your journal. In my comments below, I first address the questions raised about my experiments and findings in the order in which they were raised in the Feature. I then raise some general concerns about the commissioning, proofing and production process. And, finally, I outline my responses to the criticism in the Feature of my research.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: The 'blind' analysis of GM-soy and non-GM-soy samples using PCR.

References

  1. Marshall, A. Nat. Biotechnol. 25, 981–987 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Brake, D.G. & Evenson, D.P. Food Chem. Toxicol. 42, 29–36 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. McCue, P. & Shetty, K. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 44, 361–367 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wuttke, W., Jarry, H. & Seidlová-Wuttke, D. Ageing Res. Rev. 6, 150–188 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Teshima, R. et al. J. Food Hyg. Soc. Japan. 41, 188–193 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Zhu, Y., Li, D., Wang, F., Yin, J. & Jin, H. Arch. Anim. Nutr. 58, 295–310 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Malatesta, M. et al. Cell Struct. Funct. 27, 173–180 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Malatesta, M. et al. Eur. J. Histochem., 47, 385–388 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Vecchio, L., Cisterna, B., Malatesta, M., Martin, T.E. & Biggiogera, B. Eur. J. Histochem. 48, 449–453 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Ermakova, I. in Proceedings 'Epigenetics, Transgenic Plants and Risk Assessment', December 1, 2005 Literaturhaus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 41–48 (Institute for Applied Ecology, Freiberg, Germany 2006) <http://www.oeko.de/oekodoc/277/2006-002-en.pdf>

    Google Scholar 

  11. Schubbert, R., Hohlweg, U., Renz, D. & Doerfler, W. Molec. Genes Genet. 259, 569–576 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Birch, A.N.E., Geoghegan, I.E., Majerus, M.E.N., McNicol, J.W., Hackett, C.A., Gatehouse, A.M.R. & Gatehouse, J.A. Mol. Breeding 5, 75–83 (1999).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Losey, J.E., Rayor, L.S. & Carter, M.E. Nature 399, 214 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Zangerl, R. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 98, 11908–11912 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Pusztai, A. & Bardocz, S. in Biology of Nutrition in Growing Animals (eds. Mosenthin, R., Zentek, J. & Zebrowska, T.) 513–540 (Elsevier, New York, 2006).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  16. Ewen, S.W. & Pusztai, A. Lancet 354, 9187 (1999).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Prescott, V.E. et al. J. Agr. Food Chem. 53, 9023–9030 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Schubbert, R., Lettmann, C. & Doerfler, W. Mol. Gen. Genet. 242, 495–504 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Doerfler, W. Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 197, 209–224 (1995).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Doerfler, W. Adv. Cancer Res. 66, 313–344 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Mercer, D.K., Scott, K.P., Bruce-Johnson, W.A., Glover, L.A. & Flint, H.J. Appl. Env. Microbiol. 65, 6–10 (1999).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Netherwood, T. et al. J. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65, 11, 5139–5141 (1999).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Chowdhury, E.H. et al. Vet. Hum. Toxicol. 45, 95–96 (2003).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Konovalova, M.A. & Blinov, V.A. Second All-Russian Symposium 'Transgenic Plants and Biosafety, Moscow, October 22–25, 2007, (ed. Kuznetsov, V.V.) 22–25 (K.A. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 2007).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Ho, M.-W. & Tappeser, B. in Transboundary Movement of Living Modified Organisms Resulting from Modern Biotechnology: Issues and Opportunities for Policy-Makers (Mulongoy, K.J. ed.) 171–193 (International Academy of the Environment, Switzerland, 1997).

    Google Scholar 

  26. Kuznetsov, V.V. & Kulikov A.M. Russian Chem. J. 69, 4, 70–83 (2005).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Wilson, A., Latham, J. & Steinbrecher, R. Biotechnol. Genet. Eng. Rev. 23, 209–237 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Butlerov str., 5a, Moscow, Russia

    Irina V. Ermakova

Authors
  1. Irina V. Ermakova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ermakova, I. GM soybeans—revisiting a controversial format. Nat Biotechnol 25, 1351–1354 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1207-1351

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1207-1351

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing