ABSTRACT
A sensitive and reliable process was established using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to distinguish conventional varieties of glyphosate-resistant genetically modified crops via shikimate detection in soybean (Glycine max L. Merril) seeds. Glyphosate has a well-defined mechanism of action. It is the only herbicide that specifically inhibits 5-enolpiruvilshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS E.C. 2.5.1.19), which catalyzes the condensation of shikimate with phosphoenolpyruvate. This study is based on the concept that shikimate significantly accumulates in soybean plant tissues after EPSPS inhibition by glyphosate. In plants not subjected to glyphosate, shikimate is not easily detected because it quickly metabolizes into shikimate 3-phosphate and subsequently into 5-enolpiruvilshikimate 3-phosphate through the action of EPSPS. Conversely, in non-genetically modified plants subjected to glyphosate, shikimate metabolism is impaired, resulting in its accumulation. This metabolite can be detected in extremely low quantities (in the microgram range), through HPLC. In this study, six different contrasts were analyzed, each being formed by a transgenic cultivation and its parental strain, subject or not subject to the treatment of soaking with a 0.6% glyphosate solution. Chromatographic analyses indicated shikimate accumulation only in conventional cultivars with seeds previously soaked in a 0.6% glyphosate solution. Thus, this shikimate detection method can be used as a rapid and accurate means to distinguish soybeans with glyphosate-resistant qualities.
Este estudo estabelece um processo, sensível e confiável, com aplicação de cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (HPLC) para distinguir variedades de soja convencionais de geneticamente modificadas, resistentes ao glifosato, por detecção de chiquimato nas sementes. O mecanismo de ação doglifosato é bem definido. É o único herbicida que inibe especificamente a enzima 5-enolpiruvilchiquimato-3-fosfato sintase (EPSPS, E.C. 2.5.1.19), que catalisa a condensação do chiquimato com fosfoenolpiruvato. O trabalho está baseado na concepção do chiquimato se acumular significativamente nos tecidos vegetais de soja convencional, após a inibição da EPSP sintase pelo glifosato. Em plantas não submetidas ao glifosato, o chiquimato não é facilmente detectado, pois rapidamente é metabolizado a chiquimato 3-fosfato e, a seguir, em 5-enolpiruvilchiquimato 3-fosfato, pela ação da EPSPS. Por outro lado, em plantas não geneticamente modificadas submetidas ao glifosato, a metabolização do chiquimato é prejudicada, resultando em seu acúmulo. Este metabólito pode ser detectado em quantidades extremamente baixas (na faixa de µg), por HPLC. Neste trabalho foram analisados seis contrastes diferentes, sendo cada contraste formado por uma cultivar transgênica e sua respectiva cultivar parental convencional, submetidas ou não a embebição com solução de glifosato 0,6%. As análises cromatográficas indicaram o acúmulo de chiquimato apenas em cultivares convencionais, nas quais as sementes foram previamente embebidas em solução de glifosato 0,6%. Os resultados demonstraram que adetecção de chiquimato pode ser utilizada como um método rápido e preciso na diferenciação de soja resistente ao glifosato de soja convencional.
Subject(s)
Glycine max , ChromatographyABSTRACT
Transgenic components in genetically modified organisms consist not only of the transgenic genes, but also the transgenic protein. However, compared with transgenic DNA, less attention has been paid to the detection of expressed protein, especially those degraded from genetically modified soybean after food processing. In this study, the full length 5-enolpyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (CP4-EPSPS, 47.6 kD) protein was probed with the SC-16 (S19-R33) and the DC-16 (D219-K233) polyclonal antibodies in immunoblots. Both antibodies were able to detect the full length CP4-EPSPS and its residues in soy powder made from Roundup-Ready soybeans after heating and microwaving treatments which also reduced the molecular weight of the protein to 45.8 and 38.7 kD, respectively. Taken together the immunoblot results suggest that the middle region of the CP4-EPSPS protein possessed better stability than its N-terminal during thermal processing. This deduction was further validated by autoclave treatment, where a 37.4 kD residue of the protein was recognized by DC-16. A similar result was obtained in processed smoked sausage containing Roundup Ready soybean protein isolate (as an extender). The additional use of a further polyclonal antibody CK-17 (C372-K388), showed that compared with only the one signal for CP4-EPSPS detected by the SC-16 and CK-17 antibodies, the DC-16 middle region antibody detected four signals for CP4-EPSPS from five market sourced soy protein concentrates. Taken together, the study suggested that the middle region of CP4-EPSPS was more useful than the N- and C-terminal for tracing transgenic CP4-EPSPS protein and its remnants in highly processed soy-related products.
