Title: Genetically Modified Organisms for Bulk Chemical Production
1Genetically Modified Organisms for Bulk Chemical
Production
2Outline presentation
- Introduction
- Risk evaluations
- White and Green biotechnology for bulk
chemical production - Bulk chemical production in the future
- Conclusions
3Background
- Research at Plant Research International,
Wageningen - Construction of genetically modified plants
disease suppression, qualitative aspects,
optimization (marker-free GM plants) - GMO acceptance (reports, discussions)
- Soil biology (GMO impact analysis)
4Introduction
- Bulk chemical production
- E.g. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)
- Production by making use of Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMOs) - Optimal yield
- Chemical modification
- White Biotechnology (contained use) and Green
Biotechnology (GM plants in open fields)
5Goal
- Overview of prospects and limitations in the
application of GMOs for bulk chemical production - Emphasis on
- White Biotechnology
- Effects on nature and food chains
- Knowledge gaps for future (large quantity)
production
6Risk evaluation and public perception
- Release of GMO will always occur
- What are the events after GMO release
- In order of severity
- Effect (neutral)
- Hazard (negative consequence)
- Risk (impact)
- Risk assessment
- Risk chance of hazard x exposure (volume/ time)
- Public perception on modern biotechnology
(occasionally no rational arguments used in
discussions)
7Non-rational arguments
- Field experiment with a GM potato line
- Aimed to establish possible effects on the
indigenous soil and plant-associated microflora - Field destroyed by activists
8From literature
- Field release studies with GM bacteria and plants
- GM plants and micro-organisms are constructed to
demonstrate an effect (worst case) - No effects observed
- Or only transient effects observed
- No obvious hazards could be find in literature!
9Use of GMOs for bulk chemical production
- Effect on food chains
- PHA is non-toxic and non-allergenic
- Effects on natural environments
- PHA is biodegradable
- No impact on consumption goods and natural
environments expected!
10GMO effect after release
Effect Measure
Recombinant gene expression Controlled regulation of recombinant gene construct
GMO survival and spread Physiologically impaired host (e.g. auxotrophic strains) Containment genes
Gene transfer Recombinant DNA insertion in non-mobile constructs
Gene type Genes whose products do not have obvious effects on other organisms Assessment for genes whose products have an effect
11Limitations to evaluate consequences of GMO
releases
- Analytical tools
- Technical limitations for detection
- Environmental impact
- Where to compare with?
- Natural fluctuations are large and not always
understood - Ecology
- Not all organisms are described (soil)
- Not all interactions are clear
12White Biotechnology
- Contained use of micro-organisms (or
biotechnological derivatives) for production of
e.g. enzymes and bulk chemicals - Use of renewable raw materials and advanced
enzyme systems, replacing fossil raw materials - bio-energy
- biomaterials
- bulk chemicals
- Direct e.g. bulk chemicals like PHA
- Indirect production of enzymes required for bulk
chemical production - Realistic for industry
13PHA production in closed systems
Construct Reference
Ralstonia eutropha with phaC from Aeromonas punctata Fukui and Doi 1997 and 1998.
Aeromonas hydrophila with yafH from E. coli Lu et al., 2004
A. Hydrophila with phaPCJ genes from A. punctata Han et al., 2004
Arxula adeninivorans with phbABC genes from R. eutropha Terentiev et al., 2004
14Recommendations for white biotechnology
- Microbial host
- Suitable for optimization (growth properties,
nutrient requirements) - Containment (loss of viability after release)
- Recombinant gene
- Possibilities for modification of the product
- Control on gene regulation
- Containment genes (killing of host after
accidental release) - Waste
- Other applications
- Eradication of living GMOs in waste products
15Green Biotechnology
- Genetically modified plants in fields
- Open production facilities
- Possibility of free exchange of GM materials with
the environment and food chains - Coexistence between agricultural systems
(controversy organic conventional farming) - Lower emphasis for industry
16PHA production by plants
Construct Reference
Flax (Linum usitatissimum) with phbABC genes from R. eutropha Wróbel et al., 2004
Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) with phbABC genes from R. eutropha Arai et al., 2004
17Requirements for Green biotechnology
- Plant host
- Choice of best performing crops for bulk chemical
production - Preference for non-food crops
- Recombinant gene
- Marker-free constructs
- Restrictions on sexual exchange of rec DNA (e.g.
plastid transformation) - Logistics to keep GMO seeds separated from
non-GMO seeds
18(No Transcript)
19 Bulk chemical production
- Application of GM microbes for bulk chemical
production under contained conditions is
realistic - Safe production
- Containment guaranteed
- Applications of GM plants in open fields is
uncertain and thus less realistic - Containment in open fields is difficult to
maintain - Post harvest measures are required (transport,
storage, raw material treatments)
20Prospects
- White biotechnology will become important for
bulk chemical production - Production with GM micro-organisms in closed
reactors will largely increase - Risk assessment must be adapted for larger-scale
production facilities - Processing of fermentation waste products will
become important
21Expected scale enlargement
White Biotechnology
Environmental-friendly production
Adaptations Production facilities Biological
containment
Wastes
time
22Consequences
- Increased biotechnological production means
- Less chemicals and energy required
- Less toxic wastes produced
- More emphasis on containment
- Infrastructure (input raw materials, processing)
- Biological containment (facilities and
constructs) - Increased organic waste from reactors
- Concern for living GMOs in products made out of
waste
23Solutions
- Technical improvement of production facilities,
circumstances and GMO constructs - Alternative use of waste from fermentation
reactors - Agricultural use e.g. by composting and heat
inactivation or recycling of waste compounds
24Conclusions
- Only temporal effects have been observed in
small-scale GMO release studies - GM constructs for bulk chemical production must
be qualified as low in risk - No effect can be expected with the application of
GM microbes for bulk chemical production in
white biotechnology - Uncertainties exist with increased scale and
long-term production with GM plants - Waste products from fermentation reactors must be
processed and free of living GMOs
25Knowledge gaps
- Present analytical tools may be too limited to
detect effects by increased-scale and long-term
production special emphasis on GM plant
production - Ecological baseline knowledge to discriminate GMO
from non-GMO effects - Relevant information on ecological interactions
between species (e.g. what can be the effect of
elevated levels of PHA on different populations)