GMO (transgenic) sugar beet transfers its genes to soil bacteria

Transformation of Acinetobacter sp. Strain BD413 by Transgenic Sugar Beet DNA
Frank Gebhard and Kornelia Smalla*
Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Institut für Biochemie und Pflanzenvirologie, D-38104 Braunschweig, Germany
*Corresponding author. Mailing address: Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Institut für Biochemie und Pflanzenvirologie, Messeweg 11-12, D-38104 Braunschweig, Germany. Phone: 49 531 2993814. Fax: 49 531 2993013. E-mail: K.Smalla@bba.de.

Abstract
The ability of Acinetobacter sp. strain BD413(pFG4ΔnptII) to take up and integrate transgenic plant DNA based on homologous recombination was studied under optimized laboratory conditions. Restoration of nptII, resulting in kanamycin-resistant transformants, was observed with plasmid DNA, plant DNA, and homogenates carrying the gene nptII. Molecular analysis showed that some transformants not only restored the 317-bp deletion but also obtained additional DNA.
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Abstract
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Bacterial antibiotic resistance genes are still frequently used as markers in transgenic plants. Due to the problems caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens, the use of antibiotic resistance genes in transgenic plants is subject to debate. It is hypothesized that the introduction of bacterial genes into the plant genome leads to a higher probability of gene transfer from plants to bacteria due to the presence of homologous sequences. However, until now, there has been a lack of clear experimental evidence that successful gene transfer from plants to bacteria can occur at all. Natural transformation, the ability of bacteria to actively take up free DNA, is a way plant DNA can be transferred to bacteria. At present, around 40 species, some of which are soil- or water-borne bacteria, are known to develop the ability (called competence) for natural transformation (13). Prerequisites for natural transformation under soil conditions are the availability of free DNA, the development of competence, and the stable integration of the captured DNA into the bacterial genome. In microcosm experiments, bacterial DNA adsorbed to soil particles was able to transform competent bacteria and to persist in soil (7, 12, 13, 17)

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Also read about the spread of recombinant DNA in sugar beet

"recombinant DNA is deposited in soil during the growth of tg sugar beets and that a major mechanism of recombinant DNA spread in the environment is the dispersal of pollen which allows recombinant DNA to persist in the field plot for at least a year".