Fate of Transgenes from Transgenic Plants

Transgenes in transgenic plants can potentially reach a wide range of environmental micro-organisms. We have shown that :

1) pathogens can develop in transgenic plants and release plant DNA.
2) soil bacteria can co-infect plants undergoing necrosis.
3) gene transfer between the plant pathogen and a model soil bacteria can occur in planta.
4) for measurable gene transfer, sequences homologous to plant DNA are required.
5) plant DNA is drastically degraded before leaving the plant.
6) plant DNA making it to the soil is also dramatically reduced.

septante transbac ploben

Publications

Poté, J., Mavingui, P., Navarro, E., Rosselli, W., Wildi, W., Simonet, P., M. Vogel, T.M. 2009. Extracellular Plant DNA in Geneva Groundwater and Traditional Artesian Drinking Water Fountains. Chemosphere.

Demanèche S, Sanguin H, Poté J, Navarro E, Bernillon D, Mavingui P,  Wildi W, Vogel TM and Simonet P. 2008 Antibiotic resistant soil  bacteria in transgenic plant fields. (Proc Natl Acad. Sci. USA) PNAS. 105:3957-3962

Kay, E., Chabrillat, G., Vogel, T.M., Simonet, P. 2003. Intergeneric transfer of chromosomal and conjugative plasmid genes between Ralstonia solanacearum and Acinetobacter sp. BD413. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 16:74-82.

Ceccherini, MT., Poté, J., Kay, E., Tran Van, V., Maréchal, J., Pietramellara, G., Nannipieri, P., Vogel, T.M., and Simonet, P. 2003. Degradation and transformability of DNA from transgenic plants. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69:673-678.

Poté, J. Ceccherini, MT., Van Tran, V., Rosselli, W., Wildi, W., Simonet, P., and Vogel, T.M. 2003. Fate and transport of antibiotic resistance genes in saturated soil columns. European Journal of Soil Biology, 39:65-72.

Kay E., Bertolla F. Vogel T.M and Simonet P. 2002. Opportunistic colonization of Ralstonia solanacearum-infected plants by Acinetobacter sp. and its natural competence development. Microbiol.Ecol. 43:291-297.

Kay E., Vogel T. M., Bertolla F., Nalin R. and Simonet P. 2002. In situ transfer of antibiotic resistance genes from transgenic (transplastomic) tobacco plants to bacteria Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 3345-3351.

Bertolla F., Pepin R., Passelegue-Robe E., Paget E., Simkin A., Nesme X. and Simonet P. 2000. Plant Genome Complexity May Be a Factor Limiting In Situ the Transfer of Transgenic Plant Genes to the Phytopathogen Ralstonia solanacearum. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66 : 4161-4167

Bertolla F., Kay E. and Simonet P. 2000. Potential dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes from transgenic plants to microorganisms. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol J. 21 : 390-393

Simonet P. 2000. Evaluation des potentialités de transfert de l'ADN des plantes transgéniques vers les bactéries du sol. OCL 7 : 320-323

Bertolla F., Frostegard A., Brito B., Nesme X. and Simonet P. 1999. During infection of its host, the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum naturally develops a state of competence and exchanges genetic material. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact., 12, 467-472.

Bertolla F. and Simonet P. 1999. Horizontal gene transfers in the environment : Natural transformation as a putative process for gene transfers between transgenic plants and micro-organisms. Research in Microbiol 150, 5409-5420.