1. What is Biotechnology? Biology 600
Biotechnology: Principles and Products
Delivered Live and via Videoconference
June 1-2, 2005
Title page.
Phil McClean
Department of Plant Science
North Dakota State University

2. The Latest Biotech News
ND GMO Planting Decisions (Winter 2005)
New law enacted during 2005 legislative session
Only the ND state government has the authority to ban
plantings of GMO crops
Response to laws passed at county level in other states
EU Approving GMO-free Zones (May 2005)
European Union GMO regulations permit regions
to declare themselves GMO
Otherwise approved GMO products can be grown
162 regions or provinces (=US states) have asked to be
GMO free
4500 total government units have made the request

4. What is Biotechnology? How about some definitions General Definition
The application of technology to improve
a biological organism
Detailed Definition
The general definition is very broad. Many individuals prefer this definition because they can claim process such as plant breeding or mutagenesis are actually biotechnology. The detailed definition points to the fact that a foreign gene needs to be inserted for a product to be considered a biotech product.
The application of the technology to modify
the biological function of an organism
by adding genes from another organisms

5. Extended shelf-life tomato
What is the Result of Biotechnology?
An organism showing a novel trait not normally found in the species
Extended shelf-life tomato
(FlavrSavr Tomato)
It is important to separate the process from the product. Focus on the product, it will highlight the benefits of biotechnology.
Herbicide resistant soybean
(Roundup Ready Soybean)

6. Biotechnology Terms You Probably Heard
Transgene – the foreign gene added to a species
Ex. – modified EPSP synthase gene (encodes a protein that
functions even when plant treated with Roundup)
Transgenic – an organism containing a transgene introduced by technological (not breeding) methods
Here you are pointing out the difference between the process (using a transgene) and the product (the transgenic plant).
Ex. – Roundup Ready Crops

7. Biotechnology Develops
GMOs - Genetically modified organisms
GMO - an organism that expresses traits that result
from the introduction of foreign DNA
Also called transgenic organism
GMO: notice that foreign DNA is a requirement for this definition. Plant breeding products are not GMOs, as some would like to claim.

8. Important Terms Breeding Beneficial gene added from the same species
Gene delivered by mating within the species
Source: USDA
Transformation
More definitions to know.
Beneficial gene added from another species
Gene delivered by plant genetic engineering
Source: USDA

9. Let’s Be Up Front Breeding  Biotechnology
 Breeding only exchanges genes found in the species
Breeding can transfer the transgene to other breeding materials
 BUT it is not the same as biotechnology
Biotechnology adds traits not available in the species
 Soybean does not have a gene to breakdown Roundup
The gene comes from bacteria
Again, here were trying to show that breeding is not biotechnology. Some would like to claim breeding is biotechnology. In that way, they can claim that we actually been using biotech products for a long time. This is a hollow argument that will backfire if pressed.

10. Interspecific Cross X Wheat Rye Triticale New species, but
NOT biotechnology
products
These photos illustrate the use of plant breeding to produce a new crop of agronomic utility.

11. Mutagenesis: New Trait, No Foreign Gene
Mutagenesis changes the sequence of a gene
New, useful traits can be obtained
Mutagenesis
Treatment
Susceptible
Normal
Gene
ATTCGA
Notice that the mutagenic treatment changed a single base in the gene sequence. This change created a resistant plant because the gene product targeted by herbicide is not affected by the herbicide. This is a change of gene in the plant; a foreign gene was NOT involved.
Resistant
Mutant
Gene
ATTGGA

12. BASF Clearfield Products
Mutagenesis Crops
Herbicide resistance
imidazolinones
Mutant AHAS enzyme
developed by mutagenesis
Crops
Canola, Corn, Rice, Sunflower, Wheat
In US
Not considered GMOs by USDA regulators
A Major marketing advantage
When some stacked with GMOs, the advantage lost
BASF Clearfield line is an example of products developed by mutagenesis. Some of these herbicide resistant genes have been stacked with transgenes, so those products are also considered to be transgenics or GMOs.

13. The Crop Biotech Market Is Dominated By Five Countriesa
Top Five Countries = 96% of market
20 % increase in biotech acreage from 2003
a2004 growing season data in parentheses.

14. Crop Biotechnology Grew Worldwide In 2004
200 million acres (20% growth)
8.3 million farmers (18% growth)
17 mega-producing countries (>120,000 acres)
Up from 16 countries in 2003
US, Argentina, Canada, Brazil, China, Paraguay, India
South Africa, Uruguay, Australia, Romania, Mexico,
Spain, Philippines, Colombia, Honduras, Germany
Germany new in 2004
This data demonstrates the worldwide growth of biotechnology crops.
Historically, biotechnology is the most rapidly
adopted new agricultural technology

15. Biotechnology Crops: Worldwide Acreage 2004
Soybean: million acres (17% annual growth)
Corn: million acres (25% annual growth)
Canola: million acres (12 % annual growth)
This is the current data from the production of biotech crops during the 2002 growing season.

16. Economic Effect of Bt Cotton In China
$200/acre increase in income
$750 million increase nationally

17. Benefits to Hungarian Farmers
Trait
Total benefit
Farmer realized
Industry realized
Bt corn (european cornborer
3 mill
76%
24%
Bt corn (Western corn rootworm)
16 mill
65%
35%
Herbicide tolerant maize
14 mill
73%
27%
Herbicide tolerant sugarbeet
50%
From: Demont et al Potential impact of biotechnology in eastern Europe: transgenic maize, sugar beet, and
oilseed rape in Hungary.

18. Transgenic Crops Increasing In the USa
Crop (% total acreage)
Soybeanb
Cornc
Canolad
Year US ND SD
2001 68 49 80 26 25 48 61 75 -
2002 74 50 86 32 18 65 64
2003 81 91 40
These statistics track the growth in production of major biotech crops grown in the North Dakota. Notice that South Dakota producers are adopting the technology at a greater rate.
a Source: NASS Planting Reports, 2001, 2002.
b2002 US acreage = 73 million; ND acreage = 2.6 million
c2002 US acreage = 79 million; ND acreage = 1.2 million
d2002 US acreage = 1.6 million; ND acreage = 1.3 million

19. Impact of Transgenics on
Major Crop Production
Soybean
Cotton
Canola
Maize
Ha 2004 %
2004
2003
Transgenic versions of the big four crops
are grown on 30% of their acreage

20. Impact of Transgenics on Worldwide Crop Production
Transgenic crops are grown on 5%
of the 3.7 billion acres of cultivated land in the world

21. No Yield Drag or (Advantage) Arthur, Grandin, Northwood
Roundup Ready Soybean
No Yield Drag or (Advantage)
North Dakota 2002 Data
Locationa
Arthur, Grandin, Northwood
Wyndmere, Mooreton,
Great Bend
Soybean type
Ave.Bu/A
% Yield
Ave. Bu/A
Conventional
46.6 (27)b
91 %
45.5 (26)
100 %
Roundup Ready
51.5 (78)
44.1 (80)
97 %
This data demonstrates that the new Roundup Ready varieties of soybean are not exhibiting the yield drag previously observed.
aData collected by Dr. Ted Helms, NDSU
b# of varieties in trial in parenthesis

22. Roundup Ready Soybean Reduces Expensesa
Soybean type
Herbicide cost
(per acre)
Conventional
$27.65
Roundup Ready
$15.90
This data implies that the producer will say on the cost of herbicide by applying the Roundup Ready technology.
aData provided by Dr. Duane Burgland, NDSU.

23. Biotech Crops Can Be Environmentally
(and Yield) Friendly
Table 1. Cotton yield and insecticide results from a large (157 sites) trial in India during 2001.
This table is a clear demonstration of the environmental and yield value of Bt cotton. This large trial was conducted at 157 sites during 2001 in India. A Bt variety, the same variety without the Bt transgene, and a popular variety where each grown at the same locations. Yield was almost twice as high in the Bt variety than than the other two demonstrating the economic value of the technology. Furthermore, the number of sprays and the amount of insecticide introduced into the environment were significantly lower for the Bt materials. Finally, the amount of class I and class II insecticides, the most environmentally dangerous, were also reduced. These last two results demonstrate the environmental-friendly aspect of this technology.
These are significant results. It should be cautioned that the same yield advantage might not be realized in a more developed production system. But, the environmental release of toxic chemicals would still be significantly lower.
*Means within a row are significantly different at the 5% level
From: Science (2003) 299:900

24. Agriculture Products On the Market
Insect resistant cotton
Bt toxin kills the cotton boll worm
toxin gene from a bacteria
Source: USDA
Insect resistant corn
Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacteria that produces a toxin that kills the insects. The gene that encodes the toxin protein was inserted into plants.
Bt toxin kills the European corn borer
toxin gene from a bacteria
Rootworm GM approved (2/26/03)
Normal
Transgenic

25. Herbicide resistant crops
current: soybean, corn, canola
coming: sugarbeet, lettuce, strawberry,
alfalfa, potato, wheat (on hold)
resistance gene from bacteria
Source: Monsanto
Virus resistance
There a multiple forms of herbicide resistance protect the crop against a variety of herbicides. Glyophosate and imidazolinone are the primary classes that the plants are resistant against. Virus resistance is obtained by inserting the viral coat-protein gene into the plant. When this protein is produced in the plant, the viral immune system is activated, and the plant is resistant.
papaya, squash, potato
resistance gene from a virus

26. Bacterial and Animal Biotechnology Products
Biotech chymosin
enzyme used to curdle milk products
gene from yeast
harvested from GE bacteria
replaces the calf enzyme
Source: Chr. Hansen
bST (bovine somatotropin)
These are bacterial (chymosin) and animal (bST) examples. The chymosin gene is engineered for better cheese production. The bST hormone, engineered and expressed in bacteria, increase milk production in animals. bST was the first major ag biotech product.
increases milk production
gene from cow
protein harvested from GE bacteria
replaces cow protein originally
harvested from pituitary glands
of slaughtered cows
Source: Rent Mother Nature

27. Next Generation of Ag Biotech Products
Golden Rice
Increased Vitamin A content
Transgenes from bacteria and daffidol
Controversory: large amount needed to
solve problem
Sunflower
Golden rice is enriched for vitamin A. The controversy surrounds the actual utility of the product. Some data suggest the child would have to significantly increase their rice intact of rice for vitamin deficiencies to be alleviated. Because of this knowledge the biotech industry is being accused of promoting a consumer-friendly product only for publicity purposes. The white mold disease is associated with elevated levels of oxalic acid. Resistance is provided by inserting a gene whose product breaks down oxalic acid.
White mold resistance
Resistance gene from wheat
Source: Minnesota
Microscopy Society

28. reduced mowing = reduced pollution
Turfgrass
Herbicide resistance
Slower growing
reduced mowing = reduced pollution
Bio Steel
Spider silk strongest known protein
Protein expressed in goat milk
Protein used to make soft-body,
bullet proof vests (Nexia)
Turfgrass are being targeted because of how much inputs are required for their maintenance. Spider silk protein is one of the strongest known natural products, and a natural for the development of a biologically-based product.

29. Field Testing Permits Tell Us What is Coming
Field Trial Data: Jan 2001 – Today (n=2540)
Organization
# trials (%)
Monsanto
1480 (58%)
Universities
329 (13%)
Scotts
84 (3%)
Aventis
78 (3%)
Sygenta
69 (3%)
Dow
63 (2%)
USDA/ARS
60 (2%)
Prodigene
25 (1%)
Field trial data was collected for all permits filed from Jan 1, 2001 and March 4, This data will give a good indication of the nature of the field trials that were held in 2002 and will be held in This slide and the four of the five next slides (not the immediate next on) represent an analysis of that data.
Here we can see that one organization, Monsanto Corp., is the main tester of biotechnology crops. Collectively, universities also have a relatively large number of trials. The presence of Scott’s on the list suggests we should be seeing transgenic turfgrass soon.
data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (

30. Where Are the GM Crops Tested in the US?
ND #23
230 (3)
IA #4
1,022 (12)
CA #5
990 (12)
IL #2
1,292 (16)
PR #3
1,063 (13)
HA #1
1,437 (17)
Data: 1993-present: State rank, # trials, % total trials
Information Systems for Biotechnology (

31. Corn is the Current Main Focus
Crop
# Trials (%)
Corn
1424 (56%)
Cotton
193 (8%)
Rice
146 (6%)
Wheat
141 (6%)
Soybean
124 (5%)
Alfalfa
121 (5%)
Turfgrass
89 (4%)
Corn is currently the crop that is receiving the most attention. Most of this is work by Monsanto, and part of that work involves adding the Roundup Ready technology to the crop. Wheat is starting to appear on these lists because of the work to incorporate Roundup resistance.
data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (

32. The Traditional Traits Predominant
# Trials (%)
Insect resistance
791 (31%)
Herbicide resistance
736 (29%)
Plant quality
400 (16%)
Pathogen resistance
171 (7%)
The majority of the current field trials are focusing on traits that have been studied extensively in the past. It is apparent that a new killer application is not on the immediate horizon.
data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (

33. But Some Novel Traits Are Being Tested
# Trials (%)
Yield
105 (4%)
Amino acid content
94 (4%)
Sugar content
44 (2%)
Oil content
42 (2%)
Researchers, though are looking at new traits. All of these are aimed at making the crop more valuable. By modifying the amino acid content of corn, by increasing its lysine concentration, the crop will be nutritious. Oil content is being modified to make it more healthy. How yield is being modified is unknown, because the transgenes involved have not been identified because it is confidential business information.
data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (

34. What’s Coming for Wheat??
Trait
% Wheat Trials
Roundup Ready
57%
Protein content
10%
Yield 8%
Fusarium resistance
This table shows that the majority of the wheat research is focusing on Roundup resistance. For this trait, nearly all of these trials are being conducted by Monsanto. The USDA has field trials out to incorporate Fusarium resistance. This is directly addressing the scab problem of the 1990s and 2000s.
data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (

35. Some Ag Biotech Products Are Discontinued
Why???
Poor Quality
FlavrSavr tomatoes (Calgene)
Negative Consumer Response
Tomato paste (Zeneca)
Negative Corporate Response
NewLeaf (Monsanto)
Universal Negative Publicity
StarLink corn (Aventis)
FlavrSavr tomatoes were derived from a variety that was easy for introduction of foreign genes, but not particularly tasteful. In England, customers wanted labels tomato paste. The french fry industry did not want transgenic potatoes. StarLink was approved for animal but not human consumption. The corn contaminated the human corn market

36. Environmental Applications
Indicator bacteria
contamination is detected in the environment
microbes sensitive to certain pollutants
Bioremediation
Recombinant (genetically-engineered) bacteria have been developed that help clean up contaminated sites. They can also be used to determine if a specific site is contaminated with a specific pollutant.
cleanup contaminated sites
uses microbes designed to degrade
the pollutant

37. Land Mine Detection Without this effort,
that is dangerous to our military,
children are maimed.

38. Land Mine Detection How biotechnology helps
Patented transgene added to plants
When metal from mine is detected
Plant turns from green to red
Technology developed by Aresa Biodetection
Mine detected

39. Biotechnology and Health
Product
Use
Insulin
Diabetes
Interferon
Cancer
Interleukin
Human growth hormone
Dwarfism
Neuroactive proteins
Pain
Each of these products were developed by the pharmaceutical industry using biotechnology approaches. Most of these are engineered into bacteria, and the protein product is extract in large quantities for future sale.

40. What is Biopharming? Biopharming Definition
Growing transgenic crops that express
pharmaceutical products
Examples:
Drugs
Antibodies
Proteins
Biopharming is using transgenic plants to grow pharmaceutical products. These products include drugs, antibodies, and proteins.

41. Why use this technology?
Familiar Production Systems
Genes introduced into field crops (mostly corn)
New productions systems not needed
Producer can use traditional growing strategies
Reduced End-Product Cost
This technology is being used for several reasons. First, by introducing the transgene into a crop like corn, the farmer can use traditional production techniques to grow the crop. From the pharmaceutical side, the cost of producing the end product is greatly reduced compared to techniques currently in place.
Animal system: $ $5000 per gram protein
Plant System: $1 - $10 per gram protein
Source: The Roanoke Times, 2000

42. Edible Vaccines – A Biopharming Dream
Biotech Plants Serving Human Health Needs
A pathogen protein gene is cloned
Gene is inserted into the DNA of plant (potato, banana, tomato)
Humans eat the plant
The body produces antibodies against pathogen protein
Human are “immunized” against the pathogen
Examples:
Diarrhea
Hepatitis B
Measles
Edible vaccines may be the most important and accepted biotech product.

43. Future Health-related Biotech Products
Vaccines
Herpes
hepatitis C
AIDS
malaria
Tooth decay
The health and pharmaceutical industry uses biotech approaches for vaccine production. The normal bacteria in the mouth produces an acid that destroys enamel. The engineered version of the bacteria does not produce the acid. Children will be treated with the engineered version, which also has a gene that will destroy the other bacteria in the mouth, allowing it to become established.
Streptococcus mutans, the mouth bacteria
releases lactic acid that destroys enamel
engineered Streptococcus mutans
does not release lactic acid
destroys the tooth decay strain

44. (Nutrigenomics: a coming Biotechnology innovation)
Nutritional Genomics
(Nutrigenomics: a coming
Biotechnology innovation)
Concepts of Nutrigenomics
Certain diets can cause severe health risks in individuals
Refined sugars, dairy products, fatty foods
Certain diets enhance disease susceptibility in individual’s
with a specific genetic makeup
Diabetes, lactose intolerance, high cholesterol
Diets based on an individuals genetic makeup are preferred
No refined sugars, minimal dairy products
or fatty foods

45. Nutritional Genomics (Nutrigenomics)
Goal of Nurtigenomics
Identify specific genetic makeups
What combination of genes places a person at risk?
Develop dietary recommendations
What diets are best suited for certain at-risk individuals?

46. Top Biotechnologies In The Future
Molecular Diagnostics
Treatments exist, but diagnositic tools are lacking
Expensive, hard to implement
Cost effective diagnostic procedures needed
Recombinant Vaccines
Vaccines have effectively eradicated small pox, polio, etc
Other diseases need to be addressed
More effective and low-cost vaccines are needed
Genetic engineering can solve these problems

47. Top Biotechnologies In The Future
Vaccine and drug delivery
Vaccine injections can cause serious infection
New delivery forms, such as slow release drugs, are needed
Bioremediation
Water, air, and soil pollution is a problem
Plants can breakdown much of these pollutants
Plants that are safe to the environment and reduce pollutants
are needed

48. Top Biotechnologies In The Future
Nutritionally Enriched Crops
Malnutrition is widespread
Malnutrition is associated with many diseases
Modification of staple crops necessary
to solve the problem
Female Controlled Protection Against STDs
Incidence of sexually-transmitted disease is high
Women are most affected
Vaginal microbicides needed
Topical application best solution

49. The Question for the Future: Should We Live A Biotech Free Lifestyle??
Answers depends upon your perspective on the value
of the technology
What will support your opinion?
Economics
Safety of products
Needs of human