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Detection of genetically modified organisms—closing the gaps

Nature Biotechnology volume 27, pages 700–701 (2009)Cite this article

To the Editor:

Precise and accurate detection methods are a prerequisite for reliable control of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on the market. GMO detection laboratories mostly rely on PCR technology or quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) to detect genetic elements, the presence of which allows discrimination between GMOs and non-GMOs1. In general, the testing strategies followed by these laboratories consist of two phases. First, GMO presence is detected by using screening methods that target the most common genetic elements found in genetically modified crops. If GMO presence is confirmed, identification of GMOs is performed using event-specific methods, if necessary followed by quantification to verify compliance with allowed level of adventitious presence of GMOs2,3. The event-specific methods validated in the European Union (EU; Brussels) by the Community Reference Laboratory for Genetically Modified Food and Feed assisted by the European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL)4 are being implemented in enforcement laboratories worldwide. In contrast, development and validation of screening methods are not included in this system and they still remain the subject of individual research and choice of testing laboratories. Therefore, this situation results in a tiered approach for GMO testing for which the first tier is less harmonized and which could adversely affect the official control traceability system. Here, we present the case of TC1507 maize (DAS-Ø15Ø7-1, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Des Moines, IA, USA) which illustrates how a well-recognized and generally used screening approach fails to perform well and we then go on to discuss the implications of the failure in the general context of GMO detection.

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Figure 1: qPCR analysis of TC1507 GM maize line DNA.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to G. Van den Eede, head of Molecular Biology and Genomics, European Commission - Joint Research Centre Institute for Health and Consumer Protection for his contribution on the sequence alignment. The authors would also like to thank G. Van den Eede and H. Broll for their valuable comments on the manuscript. This work was financially supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (contract no. P4-0165), and by the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning.

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  1. National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Dany Morisset, Tina Demšar, Kristina Gruden, Jana Vojvoda, Dejan Štebih & Jana Žel

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  1. Dany Morisset
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Morisset, D., Demšar, T., Gruden, K. et al. Detection of genetically modified organisms—closing the gaps. Nat Biotechnol 27, 700–701 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0809-700

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