Discover more naturally modified plants

According to Plant Molecular Biology, a team of Russian and French scientists analyzed the genome and copies of 631 plant species. As it turned out, the number of plant species had a more natural genetic variation than previously estimated.

In addition to tobacco, Linaria (willow) and sweet potatoes, the list now includes peanuts, cranberries, hops and tea.

A plant is called a genetically modified plant if sequences that cannot be obtained through natural hybrids are added to the plant's genome. Scientists are currently actively using this mechanism to create genetically modified (GMO) crops , such as corn or wheat. Such plants are resistant to various pests (insects, fungi, viruses) and can also grow and grow faster than their natural ancestors.

The number of genetically modified plant species is much more natural than previously estimated - (Image: Freepik).

In nature, the function of introducing foreign genes into plants is done by bacteria living in agrobacteria . To do this, they use what is called a horizontal transfer. During this process, small segments of bacterial DNA (T-DNA from a Ti-plasmid) penetrate into plant cells, resulting in the formation of nodular tumors on the roots or stems. Plants change like that, while bacteria fully enjoy the substances produced in the process.

However, there are plants that remain permanently in their genome the DNA fragments that are passed to them from agrobacteria. It has been known for a long time that they include representatives of the genus Nicotiana (tobacco), Ipomea (moths, including sweet potatoes) and Linaria (willow mussels).

Supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, an expert from St. Petersburg State University, Russia, along with colleagues at the Institute of Plant Molecular Biology in Strasbourg, France, performed a genetic analysis. and found that the list was actually much bigger: they found T-DNA fragments of agrobacteria in the genetic material of Eutrema , Arachis , Nissolia , Quillaja , Euphorbia , Parasponia , Trema , Humulus , Psidium , Eugenia , Juglans , Azadirachta , Silene , Dianthus , Vaccinium , Camellia и Cuscuta , as well as Dioscorea alata (yams like purple potatoes) and Musa acuminata (banana).

Tatyana Matveeva, a professor at St. Petersburg State University, who led the study, explained that there are naturally occurring genetically modified plants that we know, for example, plants like walnuts and peanuts. , hops, cranberries and tea, which we drink every day.

Some people are afraid of GMO crops because they consider genetically modified crops an unnatural process. However agrobacteria use the same mechanisms that humans currently use. Our research shows this phenomenon to be much broader, which means that mankind has continually encountered genetically modified crops throughout its history.

According to scientists, genetically modified plants are good subjects to study the effects of the popularity of genetically modified crops. They can help understand what happens to genetically engineered plants that humans make, not only after 5, 10 or 15 years of transformation, but after 100 or 1,000 years.

In addition, the study will help to understand the functions of conserved T-DNA sites in the genomes of several representatives of the flora. Perhaps they are responsible for some important traits that need to be considered when breeding.

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