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Unintended Effects of Genetic Manipulation

Intended Effect: Insect Resistance

Alpha-Amylase Inhibitor

pea_001: Peas engineered to be weevil-resistant elicited immune reactions in mice.

pea_002: Peas engineered to be weevil-resistant had lowered starch digestibility when fed to chickens and pigs.


Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

cotton_001: Bt cotton showed decreased ability to kill cotton bollworm larvae during flower development and flowering.

cotton_002: Bt cotton had altered protein metabolism and produced less insecticidal toxin in leaves when subjected to high temperatures during boll formation.

cotton_006: Cotton plants and seeds expressing Bt toxin were found in non-Bt refuges.

cotton_007: Insect-resistant, transgenic cotton was more susceptible to fungal disease than its parent line.


maize_001: Bt maize has higher lignin content.

maize_002: Atlantic salmon fed Bt corn had altered enzyme activity in liver and intestine as well as altered proportions and numbers of different white blood cells.

maize_003: Monarch butterfly larvae exposed to anthers from Bt maize ate less and gained less weight.

maize_004: Byproducts from Bt maize enter streams, and in feeding experiments affected stream insects.

maize_005: Bt maize varieties matured more slowly and had on average lower grain yield and higher grain moisture content than conventional varieties.

maize_006: Bt maize had changed lipid composition in stems; also, lipid composition in soil was altered, and soil respiration was reduced.

maize_007: Western corn rootworms were found feeding on volunteer corn plants expressing a Bt toxin specific to that pest.

maize_008: The transgenic sequences of some Bt maize plants have changed since they were approved.


potato_004: Insect-resistant transgenic potatoes had less foliage and altered levels of leaf-glycoalkaloids.


rice_002: Bt rice showed signs of dwarfism and other abnormalities.


root_nodule_bacteria_001: Root nodule bacteria with Bt transgene tended to displace non-manipulated bacteria in legume root nodules.


sunflower_001: Wild sunflowers with transgene for Bt toxin produced more seeds than normal wild sunflowers.



Lectin

sugarcane_001: Lectin transgene for stemborer resistance alters growth of sugarcane.


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