Extrapolating non-target risk of Bt crops from laboratory to field

The tiered approach to assessing ecological risk of insect-resistant transgenic crops assumes that lower tier laboratory studies, which expose surrogate non-target organisms to high doses of insecticidal proteins, can detect harmful effects that might be manifested in the field. To test this assumption, we performed meta-analyses comparing results for non-target invertebrates exposed to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry proteins in laboratory studies with results derived from independent field studies examining effects on the abundance of non-target invertebrates. For Lepidopteran-active Cry proteins, laboratory studies correctly predicted the reduced field abundance of non-target Lepidoptera. However, laboratory studies incorporating tri-trophic interactions of Bt plants, herbivores and parasitoids were better correlated with the decreased field abundance of parasitoids than were direct-exposure assays. For predators, laboratory tri-trophic studies predicted reduced abundances that were not realized in field studies and thus overestimated ecological risk. Exposure to Coleopteran-active Cry proteins did not significantly reduce the laboratory survival or field abundance of any functional group examined. Our findings support the assumption that laboratory studies of transgenic insecticidal crops show effects that are either consistent with, or more conservative than, those found in field studies, with the important caveat that laboratory studies should explore all ecologically relevant routes of exposure.     

Field-evolved resistance to Bt maize by western corn rootworm: predictions from the laboratory and effects in the field

Crops engineered to produce insecticidal toxins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) provide an effective management tool for many key insect pests. However, pest species have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to adapt to management practices. Results from laboratory selection experiments illustrate the capacity of pest species to evolve Bt resistance. Furthermore, resistance has been documented to Bt sprays in the field and greenhouse, and more recently, by some pests to Bt crops in the field. In 2009, fields were discovered in Iowa (USA) with populations of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, that had evolved resistance to maize that produces the Bt toxin Cry3Bb1. Fields with resistant insects in 2009 had been planted to Cry3Bb1 maize for at least three consecutive years and as many as 6years. Computer simulation models predicted that the western corn rootworm might evolve resistance to Bt maize in as few as 3years. Laboratory and field data for interactions between western corn rootworm and Bt maize indicate that currently commercialized products are not high-dose events, which increases the risk of resistance evolution because non-recessive resistance traits may enhance survival on Bt maize. Furthermore, genetic analysis of laboratory strains of western corn rootworm has found non-recessive inheritance of resistance. Field studies conducted in two fields identified as harboring Cry3Bb1-resistant western corn rootworm found that survival of western corn rootworm did not differ between Cry3Bb1 maize and non-Bt maize and that root injury to Cry3Bb1 maize was higher than injury to other types of Bt maize or to maize roots protected with a soil insecticide. These first cases of field-evolved resistance to Bt maize by western corn rootworm provide an early warning and point to the need to apply better integrated pest management practices when using Bt maize to manage western corn rootworm.     

Evolution of resistance to transgenic crops: interactions between insect movement and field distribution

The refuge strategy is designed to delay evolution of pest resistance to transgenic crops producing Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) toxins. Movement of insects between Bt crops and refuges of non-Bt crops is essential for the refuge strategy because it increases chances that resistant adults mate with susceptible adults from refuges. Conclusions about optimal levels of movement for delaying resistance are not consistent among previous modeling studies. To clarify the effects of movement on resistance evolution, we analyzed simulations of a spatially explicit model based partly on the interaction of pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), with Bt cotton. We examined resistance evolution as a function of insect movement under 12 sets of assumptions about the relative abundance of Bt cotton (50 and 75%), temporal distribution of Bt cotton and refuge fields (fixed, partial rotation, and full rotation), and spatial distribution of fields (random and uniform). The results show that interactions among the relative abundance and distribution of refuges and Bt cotton fields can alter the effects of movement on resistance evolution. The results also suggest that differences in conclusions among previous studies can be explained by differences in assumptions about the relative abundance and distribution of refuges and Bt crop fields. With fixed field locations and all Bt cotton fields adjacent to at least one refuge, resistance evolved slowest with low movement. However, low movement and fixed field locations favored rapid resistance evolution when some Bt crop fields were isolated from refuges. When refuges and Bt cotton fields were rotated to the opposite crop type each year, resistance evolved fastest with low movement. Nonrecessive inheritance of resistance caused rapid resistanceevolution regardless of movement rate. Confirming previous reports, results described here show that resistance can be delayed effectively by fixing field locations and distributing refuges uniformly to ensure that Bt crop fields are not isolated from refuges. However, rotating fields provided better insect control and reduced the need for insecticide sprays.     

昆虫对Bt作物抗性监测技术

Bt棉花等转抗虫基因作物已在许多国家商业化种植 ,靶标昆虫的潜在抗性是广泛关注的重要问题。为了准确地监测昆虫的抗性动态 ,近年来在传统的基于标准生物测定确定抗性指数的基础上先后发展了诊断剂量、单对杂交、F2 代检测和分子生物学检测抗性等位基因等抗性监测方法。该文综述了相关的研究进展。     

Regulating transgenic crops sensibly: lessons from plant breeding, biotechnology and genomics

The costs of meeting regulatory requirements and market restrictions guided by regulatory criteria are substantial impediments to the commercialization of transgenic crops. Although a cautious approach may have been prudent initially, we argue that some regulatory requirements can now be modified to reduce costs and uncertainty without compromising safety. Long-accepted plant breeding methods for incorporating new diversity into crop varieties, experience from two decades of research on and commercialization of transgenic crops, and expanding knowledge of plant genome structure and dynamics all indicate that if a gene or trait is safe, the genetic engineering process itself presents little potential for unexpected consequences that would not be identified or eliminated in the variety development process before commercialization. We propose that as in conventional breeding, regulatory emphasis should be on phenotypic rather than genomic characteristics once a gene or trait has been shown to be safe.     

Status of resistance to Bt maize in Spodoptera frugiperda: lessons from Puerto Rico

In 2006, reports of potential Spodoptera frugiperda resistance to TC1507 maize in Puerto Rico were received. Subsequent investigation confirmed that pest populations collected from several sites in Puerto Rico were largely unaffected by the Cry1F protein in bioassays, with resistance ratios likely in excess of 1000. Since then, we have continued monitoring populations in Puerto Rico and in southern areas of the mainland US. The majority of the collections from Puerto Rico continue to show high levels of Cry1F resistance whereas populations collected from the southern US mainland continue to show full susceptibility to Cry1F and TC1507 maize. It does not appear that resistant populations have spread to any measurable extent from Puerto Rico to mainland US, nor that local selection pressure from Cry1F-expressing maize or cotton production in the southern US has caused a measurable change in population susceptibility. Lessons learned from Puerto Rico are being applied in other parts of the Americas where TC1507 maize is grown and additional steps being taken to protect the long-term durability of Cry1F in maize in areas where similar selection pressure may be expected. Tactics include using locally-adapted germplasm that contain native Spodoptera resistance, a robust education program to teach end-users about the potential for resistance to develop appropriate crop stewardship, resistance monitoring, and the use of insecticides under high S. frugiperda pressure. Perhaps most importantly, pyramided trait products that produce two or more different Bt proteins are being introduced to further delay resistance development to Cry1F.     

昆虫对转Bt杀虫蛋白基因植物的抗性及其对策

1 引言 苏云金杆菌(Bacillus thuringiensis 简称Bt)是目前世界上产量最大、应用最为成功的微生物杀虫剂,除了已筛选出多种Bt菌株直接发酵培养外,还培育出转基因工程菌及转基因植物,使Bt的使用范围大为扩大. Bt在形成芽孢时产生的伴孢晶体是Bt杀虫活性的主要来源,它可能由几种晶体蛋白即δ-内毒素组成,包括Cry和Cyt两大类.一般认为,δ-内毒素的作用过程要经溶解、酶解活化、与受体结合、插入和孔洞或离子通道形成等五个环节[1],涉及到多种毒素和作用位点,单一因素的改变对其敏感性影响不大,自50年代到80年代初Bt应用的30多年里,均未有昆虫对之产生抗性的报道,以至于一些研究者曾过分乐观地认为昆虫对Bt 不会产生抗性.进入80年代后,情况发生了急剧变化,相继发现五带淡色库蚊(Culex qu inquefasciatusg)、印度谷螟(Plodia interpunctella)等多种昆虫对Bt产生了抗体[2],同时在田间也发现世界性蔬菜害虫小菜蛾(Plutella xylostella) 对Bt产生了抗生[3-4],世界各国相继开展了昆虫对Bt产生抗性的条件和机制的研究,以期在昆虫还未普遍对Bt产生抗性之前,制定出相应的防治策略,这对于Bt制剂,尤其是转Bt工程菌和转Bt植物的推广使用,具有十分重要的意义.     

转Bt基因作物释放杀虫晶体蛋白对土壤生态安全的影响

随着转Bt基因抗虫作物的大面积推广种植,其环境安全性问题日益引起关注。转Bt基因作物在生长期内持续不断地向环境释放杀虫晶体蛋白,这些杀虫晶体蛋白积累一旦超过了昆虫的消耗及环境因子对其的钝化,就可能对非靶标昆虫或土壤微生物造成伤害。转Bt基因作物向土壤中释放杀虫晶体蛋白的途径主要有3种:根系分泌、花粉飘落和秸秆还田。释放到土壤中的Bt杀虫晶体蛋白能够迅速被土壤活性颗粒吸附,1～3 h就能达到吸附平衡。吸附态Bt杀虫晶体蛋白不易被土壤微生物或酶降解,导致杀虫活性持续时间显著延长。土壤微生物种群变化是衡量Bt作物对土壤生态影响的重要指标。研究表明,Bt作物根系分泌物或Bt生物体降解释放的杀虫晶体蛋白对于土壤蚯蚓、线虫、原生动物、细菌和真菌没有毒性,但可使丛枝菌根真菌(AMF)菌丝长度减小,不能形成侵染单元。Bt杀虫晶体蛋白对土壤酶活性的影响程度依这类蛋白的导入方式或Bt作物生育期的不同而呈现差异。土壤中Bt Cry1Ab蛋白能被部分后茬作物吸收,但不同的商品试剂盒检测结果存在差异。文章综述了Bt杀虫晶体蛋白在土壤中释放、吸附、残留特性及其对土壤动物、土壤微生物、土壤酶活性和后茬作物的影响,旨在为转Bt基因作物释放杀虫晶体蛋白的土壤生态安全评价提供参考依据。     

Contamination and management of resistance evolution to high-dose transgenic insecticidal crops

For maize and cotton, transgenic varieties that express toxins derived from Bacillus thuriengensis (Bt) are now planted in several countries. To slow resistance evolution, the “high-dose/refuge” strategy is broadly implemented in which resistance is recessive and some fields (or areas within fields) are planted exclusively with Bt crops and other fields planted exclusively with non-transgenic refuge crops for susceptible insects. This strategy, however, could potentially be undermined by contamination. Here, we investigate general models of resistance evolution for high-dose events in which fields are contaminated due to the inadvertent mixing of seeds, volunteer plants, or pollen flow between Bt and non-Bt varieties coupled with seed-saving by farmers. Contamination of the refuge by Bt plants increases selection for resistance, thereby speeding resistance evolution. Nonetheless, in most situations this effect is small. Contamination of Bt fields by non-transgenic plants might be expected to have the opposite effect and always reduce the rate of resistance evolution. While this is often the case, it is not always so. If larvae move among plants within a field, then high movement rates may reverse the effect of contamination of Bt fields to slow resistance evolution. Furthermore, if the dispersal rates of adult females between Bt and refuge fields are low, then contamination of Bt fields may speed resistance. These results suggest that contamination has the potential to undermine the efficacy of the high-dose/refuge strategy, yet depending upon the particular pest and situation, contamination may not be a concern.     

转基因棉Bt毒蛋白含量与抗棉大卷叶螟效果间的关系分析

棉大卷叶螟Sylepta derogata Fabricius为近年来长江流域棉花中后期的一种重要害虫。在其危害盛期测定了8种转基因棉叶片Bt毒蛋白的含量与受害程度,在此基础上就转基因棉对棉大卷叶螟的抗虫性采用不同抗性指标相结合的方法进行了综合评估,同时对转基因棉对棉大卷叶螟的抗虫效果与毒蛋白含量的相关性进行分析。结果表明:各转基因棉品种的不同部位叶片的毒蛋白含量呈现顶叶最高,功能叶次之,老叶含量最低的趋势。抗蚜8017和SGK321 2个转基因棉品种的棉叶毒蛋白表达量相对较低,平均值在120μg/g以下,对棉大卷叶螟的抗性级别均为中抗。其它供试转基因棉棉叶毒蛋白表达量均值在150μg/g以上,抗性级别也均为高抗,而非转基因棉泗棉3号与石远321对棉大卷叶螟不具抗性。转基因棉对棉大卷叶螟的抗性水平与毒蛋白含量呈正相关。     

Insect resistance management in GM crops: past, present and future

Transgenic plants expressing insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) were first commercialized in 1996 amid concern from some scientists, regulators and environmentalists that the widespread use of Bt crops would inevitably lead to resistance and the loss of a 'public good,' specifically, the susceptibility of insect pests to Bt proteins. Eight years later, Bt corn and cotton have been grown on a cumulative area >80 million ha worldwide. Despite dire predictions to the contrary, resistance to a Bt crop has yet to be documented, suggesting that resistance management strategies have been effective thus far. However, current strategies to delay resistance remain far from ideal. Eight years without resistance provides a timely opportunity for researchers, regulators and industry to reassess the risk of resistance and the most effective strategies to preserve Bt and other novel insect-resistant crops in development.     

The relationship between Bt toxin content and resistance to Sylepta derogata in various transgenic Bt cotton varieties

棉大卷叶螟Sylepta derogata Fabricius为近年来长江流域棉花中后期的一种重要害虫.在其危害盛期测定了8种转基因棉叶片Bt毒蛋白的含量与受害程度,在此基础上就转基因棉对棉大卷叶螟的抗虫性采用不同抗性指标相结合的方法进行了综合评估,同时对转基因棉对棉大卷叶螟的抗虫效果与毒蛋白含量的相关性进行分析.结果表明:各转基因棉品种的不同部位叶片的毒蛋白含量呈现顶叶最高,功能叶次之,老叶含量最低的趋势.抗蚜8017和SGK321 2个转基因棉品种的棉叶毒蛋白表达量相对较低,平均值在120μg/g以下,对棉大卷叶螟的抗性级别均为中抗.其它供试转基因棉棉叶毒蛋白表达量均值在150μg/g以上,抗性级别也均为高抗,而非转基因棉泗棉3号与石远321对棉大卷叶螟不具抗性.转基因棉对棉大卷叶螟的抗性水平与毒蛋白含量呈正相关.     

Gene dispersal from transgenic crops

The risk of release of genetically modified oilseed rape (Brassica napus) was investigated in relation to interspecific gene flow with hoary mustard (Hirschfeldia incana). Microscopic studies showed polymorphism within the population of hoary mustard for pollen germination on oilseed rape flowers. The transgenic herbicide-resistant and a commercial cultivar of oilseed rape were not different for pollen behaviour and ovule fertilization. Pollen tube growth was slow and erratic in interspecific crosses. Fertilization efficiency of oilseed rape and hoary mustard pollen in interspecific crosses was 15% and 1.3%, respectively, of that in intraspecific crosses. This unequal efficiency in reciprocal crosses was confirmed by hybrid seed set in pods. There was no post-zygotic barrier to the development of hybrid embryos in hoary mustard pods. Up to 26 spontaneous hybrids per male sterile oilseed rape plant, and one per hoary mustard plant, were obtained in field experiments. Hybrids were identified by isozyme electrophoresis, morphology and cytology. All hybrids were triploid with 26 chromosomes, and had low fertility. They produced 0.5 seeds per plant after spontaneous backcrossing with hoary mustard. Some of these descendants were produced from unreduced gametes. Our results suggest that gene flow is likely to occur, but its actual frequency under crop growing conditions remains to be estimated.     

The design and implementation of insect resistance management programs for Bt crops

Cotton and corn plants with insect resistance traits introduced through biotechnological methods and derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been widely adopted since they were first introduced in 1996. Because of concerns about resistance evolving to these Bt crops, they have been released with associated IRM programs that employ multiple components and reflect the input of academic, industrial and regulatory experts. This paper summarizes the current status of Bt crop technologies in cotton and corn, the principles of IRM for Bt crops and what they mean for the design of IRM programs. It describes how these IRM programs have been implemented and some of the key factors affecting successful implementation. Finally, it suggests how they may evolve to properly steward these traits in different geographies around the world. The limited number of reported cases of resistance after more than 15 years of intensive global use of Bt crops suggest that this exercise has been broadly successful. Where resistance issues have been observed, they have been associated with first generation technologies and incomplete or compromised IRM programs (i.e., inadequate structured refuge). Next generation technologies with multiple pyramided modes of action, together with the implementation of IRM strategies that are more dependent upon manufacturing and less dependent upon grower behavior, such as seed mixes, should further enhance IRM programs for Bt crops.     

Insect resistance management for Syngenta's VipCot transgenic cotton

Syngenta is seeking commercial registration for VipCot cotton, a pyramided transgenic cotton trait that expresses two insecticidal proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis Vip3A and Cry1Ab. Both proteins are highly effective against two key cotton pests, Helicoverpa zea cotton bollworm; and Heliothis virescens, tobacco budworm. To investigate the role of VipCot cotton in delaying the development of resistance in these pests to transgenic Bt traits, Syngenta has performed studies to determine the dose of proteins expressed in VipCot and evaluate the potential for cross-resistance between the component proteins. Following United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) high dose methods 1 and 4, VipCot was shown to express a high dose of proteins for H. zea and H. virescens. VipCot was also confirmed to express a high dose of proteins for H. zea through US EPA Method 5. Additionally, all the data collected to date verify a lack of cross-resistance between Vip3A and Cry proteins. These two key pieces of information indicate that VipCot cotton should be very durable under the currently mandated high dose plus refuge insect resistance management strategy.