SCAN: Genetically modified organisms - potential allergies and potential pleiotropic alterations

Abstract:

 Since genetically modified (GM) foods were introduced in the market, there has been a strong controversy leaded by groups that consider these products responsible for the increase of allergies, as well as potentially causing other negative effects. However, despite the number of opinion articles concerning this issue, peer-reviewed scientific studies are scarce. The main goal of the presented work was to contribute to develop new methodologies and acquiring rigorous scientific data regarding GM foods safety. Thus, we have evaluated the potential allergenicity of maize and soya samples under commercialization in the European Union and also compared the rice global transcriptomic alterations due to genetic engineering (GE) as compared to mutagenesis (a non-controversial technique of conventional breeding). Regarding the allergenicity assessment we have performed in-vivo and in-vitro assays in order to test the reaction of two allergic sensitive populations to the GM flour samples vs. non-GM control protein extracts. Furthermore, we have used 2D-gel electrophoresis as a powerful profiling technique for global detection of potential new allergens induced after genetic  manipulation. To compare the extent of transcriptomic modification occurring during rice improvement through GE versus mutation breeding, rice microarrays analysis was used. From our study we found no increased allergenicity after GE, we could identify two new allergens in soya samples (GM and controls), and verified that both GE and mutagenesis induce a stress response in plants which is maintained over several generations, although mutagenesis causes more changes. Finally, we suggest post-marketing analyses and methods of global analyses of gene and protein expression, to evaluate the safety of food products (GM or not).