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Use of genetic engineering has brought the revolution in breeding of agronomically important cultures. Direct incorporation of a gene for certain desirable trait has shortened a traditional selection procedure. Transgenic or genetically modified plants resistant to herbicides, pests, fungi and viruses, drought, flood, salinity, cold or heat were obtained. Certain plant species’ physical characteristics or chemical composition were altered in order to improve their nutritive value or to extend storage period of fruits. Nowadays, genetically modified (GM) plants are grown on 60 millions hectares in the world. The biggest producers are: USA, Canada, China and Argentina. However, public and the part of scientific community are concerned about possible risks related to the production of certain genetically modified crops. One of the possible risks is a horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from genetically modified plants to organisms in the environment, including microorganisms, weeds, insects, and non-transgenic varieties of crops. There are different scientific approaches for detection of horizontal gene transfer from GM-plants to bacteria (Nielsen et al, 1998): 1) experimental approach based on optimised laboratory conditions for HGT, 2) screening transformants from field trials with transgenic plants harbouring selectable genes, 3) a long term retrospective approach comparing sequences of specific bacterial and plant genes. Our aim was to prove the possibility of horizontal gene transfer using the gene conferring the resistance to neomycin and kanamycin from 6 genetically modified plant species to naturally competent soil bacterium from genus Acinetobacter, in laboratory conditions. |
