Genetic Engineering Possesses Inherent Unpredictability

Introduction [EL]

The biotechnology proponents often give the impression adding a foreign gene means just adding a new propertiy. This is is not correct as it ignores important circumstances that may cause unexpected complications.

First and most importantly, the idea of genetic engineering emerged at a time when it was still believed that genes are simple carriers of properties, independent of the surrounding situation. This has turned out not to be correct. Modern research has established that the effect of a gene is dependent on the interaction with other genes and on the surroundings (see further "The outdated basis of genetic engineering"[ML]).

This means that a gene inserted from a foregin organism may have unpredictable effects in its new environment, including the creation of unexpected substances.

Second, genes are arranged in an orderly sequence of commands that is important for normal functioning. The artifical insertion of a gene disrupts this sequence (see "What is genetic
engineering?"[EL] ).

Thereby the close control of the enormously complex manifold of cellular activities may be disturbed in an unpredictable way. Toxic intermediary substances that normally occur in very small amounts may increase considerably. Or new substances may appear. And there is a significant risk that the disruption may lead to loss of substances that are important for maintaining normal metabolism. Also, the foreign substance produced by the inserted gene may upset normal functioning which may lead to the appearance of unexpected substances.

Conclusion

Because the insertion of foreign genes may cause a disturbance of normal cellular functioning, unexpected and potentially harmful substances may appear. See further the text below by the molecular biologist Dr Michael Antoniou.

GE Disrupts Host Gene Functions and Possesses Inherent Unpredictability [ML]

(Excerpt from "Genetic Engineering and Traditional Breeding Methods: A Technical Perspective" by Dr Michael Antoniou)

Clearly GE represents a great technological advance. However, as we have already discussed, genes have evolved to exist and work in families. Therefore, the claim that the reductionist approach of GE which moves one or a few genes between unrelated organisms, is a precise technology is highly questionable.

Furthermore, the generation of transgenic plants and animals is currently an imperfect technique. Once injected into the cells of the organism, the introduced gene is randomly incorporated ("spliced") into the DNA of it's new plant or animal host.

In fact, the manner in which GE animals and plants are produced, always selects for the splicing of the foreign gene into regions of the host DNA where other natural genes are trying to work. Given the interdependence of gene function within any grouping of genes, this random splicing of the foreign gene into the host DNA will always result in a disruption in the normal genetic order in the "string of pearls". Therefore, GE of animals and especially plants, always results in a loss, to a lesser or greater degree, of the tight genetic control and balanced functioning which is retained through conventional cross breeding.

With GE, host genes can be silenced (inactivated) or inappropriately switched on resulting in either a deficiency in a given protein(s) or the presence of the wrong protein(s) in the wrong place or in the wrong quantity or all these combined.

In addition, it is also assumed that the introduced gene and the protein that it makes, will behave in exactly the same way in it's new host as it does in it's native environment which frequently will not be the case. As discussed above, gene and protein functions have evolved over millions of years to work together in any given organism. The anti-freeze gene/protein in the arctic sea flounder has evolved to work together with the other genes/proteins in this fish. It is purely an assumption that it will work in exactly the same way with no unwanted side effects in it's new hosts where it will now be surrounded by plant proteins!

These effects combine to produce a totally unpredictable disturbance in host genetic function as well as in that of the introduced gene. The resulting disturbance in biochemical function can unexpectedly produce novel toxins, allergens and reduced nutritional value.

Related articles

• "Why GE may cause the appearance of unexpected substances".  [ML]  [Partly EL]
• "The reasons why hazardous substances may be created through genetic engineering". [ML]
• Phenomena responsible for disturbances in gene expression. From a leading European Plant science center.

• "No safety assessment methods are fully reliable"[EL] Why it is difficult to reliably detect unexpexted hazardous substances that may appear due to Genetic Engineering

• "Incomplete knowledge about DNA" [ML] [Partly EL]