https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82001-0, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82001-0. But this innovation has been cast aside owing to fear or false accusations, resulting in numerous lives needlessly lost (1 -3).With the recent exception of the Philippines, governments have not approved the cultivation of GR (). June 6, 2001. PubMed PubMed Central Food Res. To obtain Datta, S. K. et al. Genetically modified rice Rice plants being used for genetic modification Part of a series on Genetic engineering Genetically modified organisms Bacteria Viruses Animals Mammals Fish Insects Plants Maize/corn Rice Soybean Potato History and regulation History Regulation Substantial equivalence Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety Process Techniques The Golden Rice controversy: Useless science or unfounded criticism? In the 1990s, researchers discovered and created GR, which was improved in 2004 with transgenes from maize and a common soil bacteria, Erwinia uredovora. MABC has been successfully used to transfer high value genes/QTLs for disease resistance, submergence and drought tolerance traits into popular rice varieties without altering their desirable traits14,15,16. Ann. A japonica variety of rice was engineered with three genes necessary for the rice grain to produce and store beta-carotene. The genetic modification was made by the addition of two genes, phytoene synthase (Zmpsy1) from Zea mays and carotene desaturase (crtI) gene from the common soil bacterium, Pantoea ananatis (syn. In addition, the Food Allergy Resource and Research Program of the University of Nebraska researched the rice in 2006 and concluded that no allergenic properties were found in proteins from the new genes, a fear from the GMO debate about potential new allergens in genetically modified crops. Bechoff, A. et al. Agronomy 6, 56 (2016). Several earlier attempts to develop golden rice events and introgression lines had to face the genetic background effects. The problem with the farmers voice. Ever since Golden Rice first made headlines nearly 20 years ago, it has been a flashpoint in debates over GM crops. During the first phase the plants were selected on the basis of the availability of a plant with desirable properties at a specific location. As genetically modified crops would have to be grown, there are concerns about the effect they would have on the surrounding environment. Stone GD and Flachs A. [21] Resistance management is needed in southeast Asia to prevent loss of efficacy of Bt in rice. Stable trait expression and minimal GE for any trait of importance, especially for grain micronutrients and vitamins is essential for varietal release as well as for their successful adoption4,33,34. 3, Fig S9). Woodfield, D. R. & White, D. W. R. Breeding strategies for developing transgenic white clover cultivars. Euphytica 154, 271278 (2007). Agronomic performance at field level and GE studies showed that the GR2E gene did not alter any of the traits of the recipient parents in all its zygosity conditions. Agric Hum Values. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien investigates the debate that's grown up over the development of golden rice, a genetically modified crop. PubMed GR has the potential to be a significant public health intervention for VAD populations throughout the world. Carotenoid levels in different genetic backgrounds. The grain samples of GR2E ILs along with recipient parents are shown in Fig. Molecular and functional characterization of GR2-R1 event based backcross derived lines of Golden Rice in the genetic background of a mega rice variety Swarna. CAS A. et al. New evidence from efficacy trials. Later, these and other types of herbicide-resistant GM rice were approved in Canada, Australia, Mexico and Colombia. However, none of these approvals triggered commercialization. The main objectives of the present work were to: develop agronomically desirable lines of provitamin A enriched GR2E golden rice in the genetic backgrounds of popular rice varieties from Asia; to understand the effects of genetic background and environment on carotenoid expression, and to identify stable and productive lines of GR2E golden rice for varietal evaluation. Golden Rice is a genetically modified curveball, created to remedy Vitamin A deficiency among the world's poorest souls. ISSN 2045-2322 (online). IR64 is popular in most of the Asian countries, PSBRc82 in the Philippines, and BR29 in Bangladesh. He approved, saying that, like other farmers in countless countries dreaming that their crops may feed their families, communities, and countries with healthy food, golden rice meets his needs. Supporters of the project believe that improving public health in developing countries outweighs golden rices associated risks. Acetic acid and Iodine solution was mixed with the aliquot of the test solution to form a blue starch iodine complex and its absorbance was measured at 620nm using a colorimeter49. [29][30], While rice grows in water, it cannot survive floods which in 2010 led to loss of 4 millions of tons of rice in India and Bangladesh alone. This raised environmental safety concerns about gene flow. Ye, X. et al. Rice samples were ground to a fine powder using a cyclone mill. These lines will be further evaluated in multi-location field testing in the Philippines and Bangladesh respectively. 11, 125130 (1996). Grain samples of GR2E golden rice and respective recipient parents. Bioscience. J. Oleo Sci. Article Dehulled and polished rice seeds were ground to a fine powder using a modified paint shaker and accurately weighed amounts (ca. So targeted breeding and careful selection of progenies with carotenoids test in each generation is necessary for advancing the lines. As with human safety concerns, there is a possibility that other animals that eat genetically modified crops will be affected. These lines can supply 3050% of the estimated average requirements of vitamin A. Baisakh, N. et al. McLean MR. An Introduction to the Ethical Issues in Genetically Modified Foods. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Correspondence to A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, 2012). In 2000, the first two GM rice varieties both with herbicide-resistance, called LLRice60 and LLRice62, were approved in the United States. August 10, 2015 Blog, Special Edition on GMOs Good as Gold: Can Golden Rice and Other Biofortified Crops Prevent Malnutrition? Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) among Filipino preschool children, pregnant, and lactating women: 19932013. Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Erwinia uredovora). Muthayya, S., Sugimoto, J. D., Montgomery, S. & Maberly, G. F. An overview of global rice production, supply, trade, and consumption. PubMed Central Equip. Ethical decision-making demands that we consider an issue from a variety of perspectives. IRRI's most ambitious attempt to genetically modify rice is its C4 rice project. Summarize the main arguments of the two sides in the golden rice debate. . Impact of genetics and environment on nutritional and metabolite components of maize grain. In a debate dominated by anti-GMO activists and Nobel laureates, some views are left in the dark. Crop J. Opens in a new window. For the CT conducted with GR2E BR29 ILs in Bangladesh in the 2016 Boro season there were no significant differences from BR29 for all the traits measured (Table 3). where i denotes the mean of the ith entry (fixed effect), bj denotes the effect of the jth block, and eij denotes the residual error. The results supported the effective conversion of vitamin A in humans. Full Episode. Overall plant performance was better during DS and among the genetic backgrounds the GR2EPSBRc82 lines performed better than the GR2EIR64 lines. Mayer JE. Jaswir, I. et al. Friends of the Earth. Among the 70 ILs tested during the 2015WS at IRRI, PSBRc82 GR2E ILs showed small but statistically significant differences from non-transgenic PSBRc82 for eight traits including days to flowering (DTF), plant height (PH), Flag leaf length (FL), flag leaf width (FW), filled spikelets (FS), total number of spikelets per plant (TSP), grain length (GL) and hundred seed weight (HSW) (Table 1). An analysis of the risks of planting golden rice and the benefits of doing so may yield clarity about whether it will have an overall positive or negative effect on the world. They argued that this would not be a problem because rice is a self-pollinating crop, and their test showed less than 1% of the modified gene transferred in pollination. 63, 761767 (2014). Concentrations of total carotenoids were determined from A450 nm assuming an average E450 nm=142, 180lmol1cm1 in acetone using the Beer-Lambert law corrected for sample dilution and normalized to the internal standard. J. Agric. [37] Approximately 30 percent of rice production and 11,000 farmers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas were affected. DOI. Or are they out to make a profit? B. P. Mallikarjuna Swamy. Moreover, no differences were observed in terms of pest and disease reaction. Genetic, physiological, and gene expression analyses reveal multiple QTLs that enhance yield of rice mega-variety IR64 under drought. In China, scientists modified brown rice as a cost-effective way to produce HSA protein. Efforts were focused on the lines homozygous for GR2E; however, hemizygous and null plants were also phenotyped to determine the impact of the presence of the GR2E locus on agronomic traits. Golden Rice is any variety of rice which makes beta-carotene, thus giving the rice a yellow (Golden) colour. Golden Rice is conventional rice that has been genetically engineered to have high levels of beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. Beta-carotene is found in a variety of fruits and. Moreover, ILs did not show any significant difference in yield when expressing the genes in the carotenoid pathway36. Soon. & Price, W. D. Unintended compositional changes in genetically modified (GM) crops: 20 years of research. PubMed PubMed Central Morphological traits such as panicle type, panicle exertion, grain shape, flag leaf length and width were similar for the GR2E ILs. Prior to commercialize Golden Rice, several performance and regulatory checkpoints must be achieved. Article Transgenic events with single copy, clean integration and showing normal Mendelian segregation are considered ideal for research and breeding purposes, as they do not alter the host plant genome20,21,22. Datta, K., Sahoo, G., Krishnan, S., Ganguly, M. & Datta, S. K. Genetic stability developed for -carotene synthesis in BR29 rice line using dihaploid homozygosity. PLoS ONE 10, e0131717 (2015). The mean PH of lines carrying GR2E were marginally shorter than the respective recipient parent. Food Allergy Research and Resource Program. Insect pest infestations and disease incidences were recorded at maximum tillering and at 50% flowering. ADS 34, 18851893 (2008). De Pee, S. Proposing nutrients and nutrient levels for rice fortification. The amplification reaction was carried out in a 96-well PCR plate in a thermocycler using the following temperature profile: denaturation, 95C for 5min; 35 cycles of denaturation at 95C for 45s, annealing at 55C for 45s and extension at 72C for 45s; and final extension at 72C for 8min and long-term storage at 10C. where i denotes the mean of the ith entry (fixed effect), lk denotes the effect of the kth site, bj(k) denotes the effect of the jth block within the kth site, (l)ik denotes the interaction between the entries and sites (random effect), and eijk denotes the residual error. Get what matters in translational research, free to your inbox weekly. "Golden Rice" is the name of a rice that has been genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) to produce beta carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A. 79, 4759 (2012). Plant Biotechnol. [38] The contamination led to a dramatic dip in rice futures markets with losses to farmers who grew rice for export. Data were gathered on key agronomic, yield and yield-related traits; and total carotenoid content was measured two months after harvest. Tian, Y. S. et al. Article But the rice's journey to federal approval has been slow and filled with opposition. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. For example, you may have heard of golden rice, one of the first commercial GMO crops. This unit may be used in life sciences or social studies classes during topics including the following: Golden rice is a genetically modified, biofortified crop. There is also the possibility that genetically modified foods may enter the food supply inadvertently when GMO crops are planted near non-GMO crops, without the consumers' knowledge. To produce Golden Rice, 2 enzymes are introduced into the endosperm [phytoene synthase (psy) and phytoene desaturase (crtl)] via an endosperm-specific glutelin (Gtl) promoter ( -carotene biosynthetic pathway in the rice grains. Golden rice, which is a short-grain rice genetically modified to contain beta-carotene, was first developed in 1999, in Switzerland. The voices of farmers are often broadcast by activist organizations, which may lead us to wonder: what are the developing country farmers true beliefs? Codex. As of 21 July 2021, the Director of the Philippines Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Plant Industries (DA-BPI) signed off on the Commercial Propagation Permit for Golden Rice in the Philippines. Supporters of the Golden Rice Project consistently tout its public health benefits. 2, 345357 (2014). Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Plant Biotechnol. Nucleic Acids Res. Golden rice is a genetically modified, biofortified crop. CAS The research team found that nicotianamine, iron, and zinc concentration levels increased in all three populations relative to controls. Gel consistency of the rice paste (4.4% w/v) was determined by measuring the length of the cold gel in the culture tube after placing horizontally for 1h. Rice was differentiated into three consistency typessoft (61 to 100mm), medium (41 to 60mm) and hard (27 to 40mm). Marker-free transgenic MFT near-isogenic introgression lines NIILs of golden indica rice cv IR64 with accumulation of provitamin A in the endosperm tissue. China approved the rice for large-scale use as of 2009. Amylose content (AC) was determined on milled rice extracts using a segmented flow analyzer. However, the transfer of this golden rice trait from Kaybonnet into additional locally-adapted and widely-grown rice varieties is required for the successful release and adoption of golden rice in Asia. 4. What is genetically modified (GM) rice? However, it is a requirement to assess the composition of genetically modified crops to see if any significant changes in grain quality, nutrients and anti-nutrients contents in comparison to traditional counterpart and to assess the safety of the intended or unintended changes27,28. 103, 151160 (2009). 8ml) and volumes were adjusted to 14ml with distilled water. The genetically modified brown rice makes the same amino acid sequence as HSA. New Biotechnol. Many lines performed equally similar to the respective recurrent parents, allowing the selection of advanced lines in all backgrounds for further testing in multi-location trials. Potrykus I. of rice per day to get their recommended daily value of Vitamin A [7]. Food Agric. Both the phenotypic and genotypic based segregation analysis showed typical Mendelian segregation ratio in different segregating generations. In addition, golden rice may specifically target the deficiency of vitamin A but does not address the countless additional social, economic, and cultural factors that contribute to VADs. However, there is no naturally-occurring variation for provitamin A in grains in rice germplasm, so this has been achieved by using genetic engineering approaches. By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. DOI. Rice plants have been modified to increase micronutrients such as vitamin A, accelerate photosynthesis, tolerate herbicides, resist pests, increase grain size, generate nutrients, flavors or produce human proteins.[1]. [5] Research suggests that since rice is a staple crop across the world, improvements have potential to alleviate hunger, malnutrition and poverty. Google Scholar. The carotenoid levels were found to vary across the genetic backgrounds, locations and seasons but there were no significant GE interactions. At the same time, supporters of the project, including the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Humanitarian Board for Golden Rice, continued touting its benefits. Understanding background effect and standardization of post-harvest handling is needed to achieve desired level of carotenoids in the introgression lines of multiple backgrounds. The consumption of the genetically modified rice variety known as Golden Rice (GR) offers a potent and cost-effective strategy to combat VAD. GR2E advance backcross progenies were phenotypically very similar to their respective recipient parents. Agric Hum Values. Google Scholar. J. Appl. R package version 1.06-05. The organic phase was recovered by pipetting out and transferred into a 2ml graduated Eppendorf tube and the remaining aqueous phase was re-extracted with another 2ml PE:DE (2:1 v/v), followed by centrifugation (3000g, 5min). Tweet. De Moura, F. F. et al. Greenpeace argues against GMOs for fear of advancing biotechnology, but when enhanced it can improve conditions in developing countries beyond micronutrient malnutrition. 1). The modified rice contains seven proteins from cedar pollen (7Crp) to block these symptoms by inducing oral tolerance. Google Scholar. The Rockefeller Foundation supported their goal to provide a sustainable biofortification approach to combat vitamin A deficiencies (VADs) in developing countries. Simultaneously efforts are being made to develop next generation golden rice events with elevated levels of carotenoids with longer stability37,38,39. J. Agric. Lecture. Maximum absorbance of sample extract at 450nm and maximum absorbance of internal standard at 680nm was determined using DU730 Beckman Coulter UV/VIS spectrophotometer. Research scientists from the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) and IRRI to are working to increase the amount of iron in rice. At the end, he gave his enthusiastic support to the development and expansion of golden rice. Thank you for printing content from NYU Langone Health. Angela Tabil,Roel R. Suralta&Antonio A. Alfonso, Plant Breeding Division, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Gazipur, Bangladesh, Institute for International Crop Improvement, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, MO, USA, You can also search for this author in Erwinia uredovora) into a temperate japonica rice variety, Kaybonnet, from the USA. We also discuss ethical questions raised by golden rice and other genetically modified organisms (GMOs). & Faludi-Dniel, . A total of 14 agronomic, yield and yield-related traits and carotenoid content were measured from the different confined tests. Sci. Development of submergence-tolerant rice cultivars: the Sub1 locus and beyond. The modified rice was transparent. J. Agric. 'Golden Rice' is a genetically modified rice with high levels of beta-carotene and . Unlike, say, pesticide-resistent soy seeds, scorned for being more beneficial to corporations than . Further, BC5F3 seeds of GR2E BR29 were sent to Bangladesh, multiplied in the screen house, and further evaluated in a CT at BRRI, Gazipur, for one season in 2016. CAS We need vitamin A for healthier skin, immune systems, and vision. These included two genes from the daffodil plant and a third from a bacterium. The biotech industrys push of their technology raises concerns about their motives and contributes to the negative connotations of genetically modified crops. A consequentialist ethical framework says that we should look at whether planting golden rice will bring about more good, or more harm. As a result of opposition, the Golden Rice Project employed golden rice in fewer developing countries than originally proposed. Norshazila, S., Othman, R., Jaswir, I. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00698 (2015). PLoS ONE 9, e100212 (2014). Three CTs were conducted for GR2E IR64 and GR2E PSBRc82 at IRRI, while the selected lines of GR2E PSBRc82 were evaluated for two seasons at PhilRice. There was a clear environmental effect, even though total carotenoids varied with environments, the genotypes with high carotenoids were always the best in all the locations. Bates, C. V. Vitamin A. Lancet 345, 3135 (1995). Article Introgression of the GR2E locus from GR2E Kaybonnet into PSBRc82, IR64, and BRRI dhan29 (BR29) was performed at IRRI through MABC along with selections for desirable agronomic and grain quality traits. Authors of a 2016 article in the Journal of Agriculture and Human Values, Disembedding grain: Golden Rice, the Green Revolution, and heirloom seeds in the Philippines, argue that opposition from anti-GMO activists is not to blame for the lack of progress on the Golden Rice Project. involved in genotyping, data collection, carotenoid analysis, R.L.O., D.B.R., R.M., R.R.S., A.A., A.T.R., M.A.T., A.A.A., P.S.B. September 8, 2014. The Golden Rice Project has freedom to operate under humanitarian use, so the technology can be provided free of charge in developing countries. Kaybonnet is a high yielding japonica rice variety with blast resistance and excellent milling quality commercially cultivated in the USA. Ecologist. FNRI. Genet. Harrigan, G. G. et al. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. The amount of golden rice needed for sufficient vitamin A intake would be too great in comparison with the rice available in developing countries. Rice starch gelatinization temperature (GT) was estimated by determining the alkali spreading value (ASV) of milled rice grains in potassium hydroxide solution. However, there might be genotypic effect on the retention ability for carotenoids in rice grain. Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Summary: Heralded on the cover of Time magazine in 2000 as a genetically modified (GMO) crop with the potential to save millions of lives in the Third World, Golden Rice is still years away from . The final set of BC5F3 selected lines had background recovery of more than 98%. The combined analysis of variance for carotenoid content at two months after harvest showed that there were significant genotypic, seasonal and location effects on the expression of carotenoid content. Friends of the Earth and MASIPAG agree that merely planting golden rice will not solve the VAD crisis. In addition, allowing its further development may open up more possibilities of enhancing genetically modified, biofortified crops to combat micronutrient malnutrition in developing countriesthe main benefit of golden rice. Inabangan-Asilo, M. A. et al. From among 8000 BC5F2 plants tested, a total of 602, 439, and 471 plants homozygous for the GR2E locus were identified in IR64, PSBRc82, and BR29, respectively (Fig S1). The highest concentration of total carotenoids was observed in the BR29 background, followed by the PSBRc82 background, while the IR64 background had the lowest concentration of total caroteneoids (Tables 1, 2, 3). As it has for many years, the fight for and against GMOs continues with no immediate promise of resolution. Effects of season and storage period on accumulation of individual carotenoids in pumpkin flesh (Cucurbita moschata). This letter specifically addressed golden rice, and the potential benefits it could have if fully employed in developing countries. Ricroch, A. E. Assessment of GE food safety using -omics techniques and long-term animal feeding studies. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, High School Bioethics Project Learning Scenarios, Genetically Modified Organisms: The Golden Rice Debate. PubMed (FAO, Rome, 2009). volume11, Articlenumber:2496 (2021) [12][13] Clearfield is also crossbred with higher yielding varieties to produce an overall hardier plant. MASIPAG notes concerns about the employment of the Golden Rice Project such as the set-up cost, technology transfer, accessibility of the project, sustainability and credibility of the rice, and stable support from governments. Only yellow-colored BC5F2 seeds were separated and analyzed for total carotenoid content. It was created as an additional intervention for vitamin A deficiency. Golden rice has the promise to help prevent millions of deaths and alleviate the suffering of children and adults with VAD and micronutrient malnutrition in developing countries. Article Addition of a single gene Sub1A[31] was sufficient to allow rice to survive underwater for up to two weeks. Xerophthalmia leads to corneal ulceration and ultimately . Sir Richard J. Roberts. J. Nutr. Freese B. The correlation among yield and yield related traits; and with total carotenoid content is presented in the Figs S6S8. 24, S387S394 (2017). PubMed Central Luckily, with the support of both anti- and pro-GMO activists, voices from developing countries are starting to emerge. Effect of light intensity on the formation of carotenoids in normal and mutant maize leaves. Friends of the Earth states that golden rice produces too little beta-carotene to eradicate VAD (1.6 mg/g of rice, or 10 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin A). Guideline for the conduct of food safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA plants CAC/GL 45-2003 (2003). other carotenoids. Technical report (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna). Incorporating a gene from maize and a gene from a microbe found in soil into the rice plant has enabled it to produce beta-carotene in the edible sections of the plant, which was previously impossible. Thank you for visiting nature.com. The Golden Rice Technology. by Mary E. Gearing figures by Kristen Seim Summary: In addition to providing energy in the form of calories, our food also supplies us with essential vitamins and other nutrients to keep us healthy. In the summer of 2006, the USDA detected trace amounts of LibertyLink variety 601 in rice shipments ready for export. Alavi, S. et al. We measured/analyzed grain length and width, amylose content, alkali spreading value and gelconsistency, using standard protocols49. Lenth, R. lsmeans: Least-squares means. We did not notice any difference between GR2E introgression lines and their respective recipient parents for the pest or diseases pressure on the crop across the confined field tests. Cedar allergy symptoms include itchy eyes, sneezing and other serious allergic reactions. conducted field experiments, reviewed manuscript; R.F.R., R.B. That has long been scientists' answer when asked about the approval of Golden Rice, a genetically modified (GM) crop that could help prevent childhood blindness and deaths in the developing world. Bollinedi, H. S. et al. Google Scholar. Google Scholar. The results showed the potential for golden rice to have a better bioconversion rate compared with any other biofortified crop, while supplying 50 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A in just one cup of rice. A total of 40 BC5F2 families for IR64 and 20 families each for PSBRc82 and BR29 were selected for evaluation in the confined test at IRRI. Finally, there are social and cultural roadblocks, such as eating preferences deeply rooted in longstanding tradition. The background recovery of final set of selected BC5F3 ILs showed more than 98% recipient genome in all the three genetic backgrounds (Fig S3S5).