Interlaboratory study of qualitative PCR methods for genetically modified maize events MON810, bt11, GA21, and CaMV P35S.

Qualitative PCR methods for the genetically modified (GM) maize events MON810, Bt11, and GA21, and the 35S promoter (P35S) region of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) were evaluated in an interlaboratory study. Real-time PCR-based quantitative methods for these GM events using the same primer pairs had already been validated in previous studies. Fifteen laboratories in Japan participated in this interlaboratory study. Each participant extracted DNA from blind samples, performed qualitative PCR assays, and then detected the PCR products with agarose gel electrophoresis. The specificity, sensitivity, and false-negative and false-positive rates of these methods were determined with different concentrations of GM mixing samples. LODs of these methods for MON810, Bt11, GA21, and the P35S segment calculated as the amount of MON810 were 0.2, 0.2, 0.1, and 0.2% or less, respectively, indicating that the LODs of MON810, Bt11, and P35S were lower than 10 copies, and the LOD of GA21 was lower than 25 copies of maize haploid genome. The current study demonstrated that the qualitative methods would be fit for the detection and identification of these GM maize events and the P35S segment.

Development and validation of event-specific quantitative PCR method for genetically modified maize MIR604.

A GM maize event, MIR604, has been widely distributed and an analytical method to quantify its content is required to monitor the validity of food labeling. Here we report a novel real-time PCR-based quantitation method for MIR604 maize. We developed real-time PCR assays specific for MIR604 using event-specific primers designed by the trait developer, and for maize endogenous starch synthase IIb gene (SSIIb). Then, we determined the conversion factor, which is required to calculate the weight-based GM maize content from the copy number ratio of MIR604-specific DNA to the endogenous reference DNA. Finally, to validate the developed method, an interlaboratory collaborative trial according to the internationally harmonized guidelines was performed with blind samples containing MIR604 at the mixing levels of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0%. The reproducibility (RSDr) of the developed method was evaluated to be less than 25%. The limit of quantitation of the method was estimated to be 0.5% based on the ISO 24276 guideline. These results suggested that the developed method would be suitable for practical quantitative analyses of MIR604 maize.

Interlaboratory validation of quantitative duplex real-time PCR method for screening analysis of genetically modified maize.

To reduce the cost and time required to routinely perform the genetically modified organism (GMO) test, we developed a duplex quantitative real-time PCR method for a screening analysis simultaneously targeting an event-specific segment for GA21 and Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S promoter (P35S) segment [Oguchi et al., J. Food Hyg. Soc. Japan, 50, 117-125 (2009)]. To confirm the validity of the method, an interlaboratory collaborative study was conducted. In the collaborative study, conversion factors (Cfs), which are required to calculate the GMO amount (%), were first determined for two real-time PCR instruments, the ABI PRISM 7900HT and the ABI PRISM 7500. A blind test was then conducted. The limit of quantitation for both GA21 and P35S was estimated to be 0.5% or less. The trueness and precision were evaluated as the bias and reproducibility of the relative standard deviation (RSD(R)). The determined bias and RSD(R) were each less than 25%. We believe the developed method would be useful for the practical screening analysis of GM maize.