Khan Mohammad S, Khan Muhammad A, Ahmad Dawood
Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar Pakistan.
Research School of Biology, ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT Australia.
Front Plant Sci. 2016 Jun 24;7:792. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00792. eCollection 2016.
Transgenic plants with improved salt and drought stress tolerance have been developed with a large number of abiotic stress-related genes. Among these, the most extensively used genes are the glycine betaine biosynthetic codA, the DREB transcription factors, and vacuolar membrane Na(+)/H(+) antiporters. The use of codA, DREBs, and Na(+)/H(+) antiporters in transgenic plants has conferred stress tolerance and improved plant phenotype. However, the future deployment and commercialization of these plants depend on their safety to the environment. Addressing environmental risk assessment is challenging since mechanisms governing abiotic stress tolerance are much more complex than that of insect resistance and herbicide tolerance traits, which have been considered to date. Therefore, questions arise, whether abiotic stress tolerance genes need additional considerations and new measurements in risk assessment and, whether these genes would have effects on weediness and invasiveness potential of transgenic plants? While considering these concerns, the environmental risk assessment of abiotic stress tolerance genes would need to focus on the magnitude of stress tolerance, plant phenotype and characteristics of the potential receiving environment. In the present review, we discuss environmental concerns and likelihood of concerns associated with the use of abiotic stress tolerance genes. Based on our analysis, we conclude that the uses of these genes in domesticated crop plants are safe for the environment. Risk assessment, however, should be carefully conducted on biofeedstocks and perennial plants taking into account plant phenotype and the potential receiving environment.
利用大量与非生物胁迫相关的基因培育出了具有更强耐盐和耐旱胁迫能力的转基因植物。其中,使用最为广泛的基因是甘氨酸甜菜碱生物合成基因codA、DREB转录因子以及液泡膜Na(+)/H(+)逆向转运蛋白。在转基因植物中使用codA、DREB和Na(+)/H(+)逆向转运蛋白赋予了植物胁迫耐受性并改善了植物表型。然而,这些植物未来的推广和商业化取决于它们对环境的安全性。进行环境风险评估具有挑战性,因为与非生物胁迫耐受性相关的机制比迄今为止所考虑的抗虫和耐除草剂性状的机制要复杂得多。因此,就出现了这样的问题,即在风险评估中,非生物胁迫耐受性基因是否需要额外的考虑和新的衡量标准,以及这些基因是否会对转基因植物的杂草性和入侵潜力产生影响?在考虑这些问题时,非生物胁迫耐受性基因的环境风险评估需要关注胁迫耐受性的程度、植物表型以及潜在受体环境的特征。在本综述中,我们讨论了与使用非生物胁迫耐受性基因相关的环境问题及引发这些问题的可能性。基于我们的分析,我们得出结论,在驯化作物中使用这些基因对环境是安全的。然而,对于生物原料和多年生植物,应结合植物表型和潜在受体环境仔细进行风险评估。