MM3.4: Development of farmer friendly diagnostic kits for transgenic event seed purity
Genetically modified crops have emerged as important components of modern eco-friendly high yielding agriculture. Thus far a total number of 20 transgenic crop plants in corporating 42 genes with 97 transgenic events were developed by 28 commercial companies including public funded institutions and have been released for commercial cultivation in 21 countries. Since, the first introduction in 1996, the area under transgenic crops increased to 90m hectares by 2005. In India , eleven crops (cotton, corn, brinjal, cabbage, cauliflower, ground nut, mustard, okra, pigeon-pea, rice and tomato) have been genetically transformed for enhanced resistance to insects and viruses and are in various stages of testing. Six Cry (crystal) genes (cry1Aa, cry1Ab, cry1Ac, cry1F, cry1B, cry2Ab) and vip-3A gene from Bacillus thuringiensis were used for insect resistance in nine crops. It is important to develop simple cost effective methods to assist farmers in the detection of transgenic purity of the product before they use the seed for sowing. Apart from assisting farmers, the GMO detection kits will help regulators and quarantine personnal to detect and track down the spread of approved, unapproved and unintentionally released GMOs in the environment. A database will be developed to enlist all genes, markers, promoters, traits and crops that have been released for commercial cultivation in India and elsewhere in the world. The database will also include genes, markers, promoters, traits and crops that are under active consideration in transgenic research and are under active consideration in transgenic research and are likely to be released soon for commercial used listed to be used for detection methods. New methods will be attempted to design lateral flow strips that can detect DNA from plant samples ?on-the-spot' without having to isolate DNA or carry out PCR and electrophoresis. Transgene encoding proteins will be produced and purified either from over-expressing clones or will be obtained from commercial sources. The proteins will be used as antigens to produce specific antiserum, which will be used to develop ELISA, lateral flow strips (dip-sticks) and dot-blot methods. A common lateral flow strip will be designed to enable the detection of any of the most commonly cultivated GMOs, to be used at port of entry for quarantine purposes.
OBJECTIVES
