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Detection of genetically
modified maize (Zea mays L.) in seed samples from
Nepal
Hari Kumar Shrestha, Kae-Kang Hwu and
Men-Chi Chang*
Department
of Agronomy, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4,
Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan, R.O.C.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
menchi@ntu.edu.tw.
Tel: +886-2-3366-4771. Fax: +886-2-3366-4761.
Abbreviations: GM,
Genetically modified; PCR, polymerase chain reaction;
mPCR, multiplex polymerase chain reaction; RT,
real-time; FAO, food and agriculture organization;
WHO, world health organization; GMOs, genetically
modified organisms; GRMs, genomic reference
materials; CRMs, certified reference materials;
CTAB, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide; BLAST,
basic local alignment search tool; MGBNFQ,
minor-groove-binding non-fluorescent quencher dye.
Accepted
28 July, 2010 |
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Maize is the second major cereal in Nepal; its food biosafety
and ecological conservation is an important concern. To
address this issue, it is necessary to detect genetically
modified (GM) maize and establish a monitoring and
regulatory system in Nepal. Currently, Nepal does not have
legal regulations or labeling directives for GM maize.
Therefore, the authors aimed to survey the current status of
GM maize seeds in Nepal. First, they performed multiplex
polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) to detect 8 GM maize lines
in 46 maize seed samples from different locations in Nepal.
Suspected samples were then verified by real-time PCR (RT-PCR)
and screen-specific PCR. Based on current evidence, they can
not identify any GM maize in the seed samples. This first
report may formulate and implement a baseline for quality
regulation and biodiversity conservation of maize seeds in
Nepal.
Key
words:
Genetically modified crops, maize, seeds, Nepal, multiplex
polymerase chain reaction, real-time PCR. |
