Horizontal gene transfer.
incidentally, GMOs are not created via selective breeding.
cannot stress enough the seriousness of altering forever our food sources and the danger posed by horizontal gene transfer of a poison to our gut flora.
...
Truth: GM genes can escape into the environment by horizontal gene transfer with potentially serious consequences
Myth at a glance
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is the movement of genetic material between unrelated species through a mechanism other than reproduction.
It is often claimed that HGT from GM crops into bacteria, animals, or humans is unlikely or of no consequence. But independent scientists have warned that GM genes could escape from GM crops into other organisms through HGT.
HGT from plants into other plants or animals does appear to be a low-frequency event.
However, the routes of HGT that are most likely to occur are DNA uptake by bacteria in the environment or the digestive tract. There is good evidence that the latter has already happened in the intestinal bacteria of humans who eat GM soy.
Other scenarios involving HGT by the pathogenic bacterium A. tumefaciens or by viruses are less probable. But given the wide distribution of GM crops and their intended use over decades, even low probabilities translate into a high likelihood that HGT events will occur. It is just a matter of time.
The negative impacts and risks associated with HGT must be taken into account in considering the overall biosafety of any GM crop.
Most GM contamination incidents occur through cross-pollination, contamination of seed stocks, or failure to segregate GM from non-GM crops after harvest. But for years, scientists have warned that GM genes could also escape from GM crops into other organisms through what is known as horizontal gene transfer (HGT). HGT is the movement of genetic material between individuals through a mechanism other than reproduction. Those individuals could be of the same or a different species. Reproduction, in contrast, is known as vertical gene transfer because the genes are passed down through the generations from parent to offspring within a species or closely related species.
Based on very limited experimental data, HGT from plants into bacteria or multicellular organisms (plants, animals, or fungi) is believed to be rare, although HGT is acknowledged to occur frequently between different species of bacteria and more rarely between higher species by certain mechanisms. The EU-supported website GMO Compass states that HGT from plants to bacteria “can only be demonstrated under optimized laboratory conditions.”1
Gijs Kleter, a member of the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) GMO Panel and for some years an affiliate of the GMO industry-funded group ILSI,2 is among those who have argued that if HGT occurs from commercialized GM plants into gut bacteria, this is unlikely to pose a risk to health.3
There are several mechanisms through which HGT can occur, some of which are more likely than others. HGT via some of these mechanisms occurs easily and frequently in nature. The consequences of HGT from GM crops are potentially serious, yet have not been adequately taken into account by regulators.
The basic mechanisms by which HGT could occur are:
Uptake of GM DNA by bacteria
Uptake of GM DNA from the digestive tract into the tissues of the organism
Transmission of GM DNA via pathogenic bacteria, such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The capacity of A. tumefaciens to introduce foreign DNA into plants is often exploited by genetic engineers to introduce GM genes into plants
Gene transfer by viruses.
The following sections outline these mechanisms and provide a perspective on the frequency at which these events can occur, as well as their potential impacts....
more at:
http://earthopensource.org/gmomyths...cteria-higher-organisms-unlikely-consequence/
incidentally, GMOs are not created via selective breeding.
cannot stress enough the seriousness of altering forever our food sources and the danger posed by horizontal gene transfer of a poison to our gut flora.
...
Truth: GM genes can escape into the environment by horizontal gene transfer with potentially serious consequences
Myth at a glance
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is the movement of genetic material between unrelated species through a mechanism other than reproduction.
It is often claimed that HGT from GM crops into bacteria, animals, or humans is unlikely or of no consequence. But independent scientists have warned that GM genes could escape from GM crops into other organisms through HGT.
HGT from plants into other plants or animals does appear to be a low-frequency event.
However, the routes of HGT that are most likely to occur are DNA uptake by bacteria in the environment or the digestive tract. There is good evidence that the latter has already happened in the intestinal bacteria of humans who eat GM soy.
Other scenarios involving HGT by the pathogenic bacterium A. tumefaciens or by viruses are less probable. But given the wide distribution of GM crops and their intended use over decades, even low probabilities translate into a high likelihood that HGT events will occur. It is just a matter of time.
The negative impacts and risks associated with HGT must be taken into account in considering the overall biosafety of any GM crop.
Most GM contamination incidents occur through cross-pollination, contamination of seed stocks, or failure to segregate GM from non-GM crops after harvest. But for years, scientists have warned that GM genes could also escape from GM crops into other organisms through what is known as horizontal gene transfer (HGT). HGT is the movement of genetic material between individuals through a mechanism other than reproduction. Those individuals could be of the same or a different species. Reproduction, in contrast, is known as vertical gene transfer because the genes are passed down through the generations from parent to offspring within a species or closely related species.
Based on very limited experimental data, HGT from plants into bacteria or multicellular organisms (plants, animals, or fungi) is believed to be rare, although HGT is acknowledged to occur frequently between different species of bacteria and more rarely between higher species by certain mechanisms. The EU-supported website GMO Compass states that HGT from plants to bacteria “can only be demonstrated under optimized laboratory conditions.”1
Gijs Kleter, a member of the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) GMO Panel and for some years an affiliate of the GMO industry-funded group ILSI,2 is among those who have argued that if HGT occurs from commercialized GM plants into gut bacteria, this is unlikely to pose a risk to health.3
There are several mechanisms through which HGT can occur, some of which are more likely than others. HGT via some of these mechanisms occurs easily and frequently in nature. The consequences of HGT from GM crops are potentially serious, yet have not been adequately taken into account by regulators.
The basic mechanisms by which HGT could occur are:
Uptake of GM DNA by bacteria
Uptake of GM DNA from the digestive tract into the tissues of the organism
Transmission of GM DNA via pathogenic bacteria, such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The capacity of A. tumefaciens to introduce foreign DNA into plants is often exploited by genetic engineers to introduce GM genes into plants
Gene transfer by viruses.
The following sections outline these mechanisms and provide a perspective on the frequency at which these events can occur, as well as their potential impacts....
more at:
http://earthopensource.org/gmomyths...cteria-higher-organisms-unlikely-consequence/
