Scrambled genes indicate genetic instability in GM soy

The GM claim:

"...GM techniques which in the precise and targeted way bring in a couple of genes that you know what they do and you know where they are is vastly safer, vast, vastly more controlled than this so-called conventional breeding...." Sir Robert May, UK Government Chief Scientist 1995 - 2000, and current President of the Royal Society, UK (BBC interview 9th March 2000)

The GM reality:

"Monsanto’s technical dossier submitted for commercial approval claimed that RR soya had a single insert with the intended order of genes. It turns out not to be the case. Not only is the gene order of the insert itself scrambled, the plant DNA at the site of insertion is also scrambled, and there is a large 534 bp fragment of unknown origin in there as well". (ISIS News No 9/10 July 2001)

Comment

This is a concrete case demonstrating the well known problem that inserted genes are unstable. This instability means, in practice, that the GE plant out in the field may not have the genetic setup designed in the laboratory. The unpredictable genetic changes that may occur due to this instability may, in the worst case, give rise to harmful substances.

There are different mechanisms causing instability. One is "somaclonal variation". It is is caused by genetic elements called retrotransposons. These give rise to mutation and chromosome rearrangement.

Another cause of instability are the so-called "recombination hotspots" found in all GE organisms. They are part of the artificial genetic constructs added to the "desired property gene" in order to make gene insertions successful, see "How are genes engineered?". (In technical terms: these hotspots are found at the borders of the so called T-DNA of Agrobacterium Thuringiensis used in most GE plants, and at the 3' end of the CaMV promoter, likewise used in most GE plants).

Recombination hotpsots increase the likelihood of secondary mobility of genes, resulting in unexpected changes of the properties of the GE plant. For more scientific details, see "Natural versus artificial genetic engineering" at http://www.i-sis.org/natvart.shtml and "GM Crops May All Be Unstable" at http://www.i-sis.org/unstable.shtml