-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: With the expansion of the planted area of transgenic Bt+CpTI cotton, the effects of this crop on non-target organisms in soil, including earthworms, are becoming the most important aspect of their ecological risk assessment. Laboratory toxicity studies were conducted to determine the effects of transgenic Bt+CpTI cotton leaves, containing high concentrations of the Bt toxin and cowpea trypsin inhibitor, on the earthworm Eisenia foetida. In comparison with the non-transgenic cotton line Zhong23, transgenic Bt+CpTI cotton Zhong41 had no significant acute toxicity on E. foetida. Moreover, the leaves of transgenic Bt+CpTI cotton were more suitable than the non-transgenic cotton Zhong23 for E. foetida growth and reproduction (time of reproduction, the number of cocoons and newly incubated offspring).
Frontiers in Bioscience 02/2009; 14:4008-14. · 3.52 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A novel ferritin cDNA, SferH-5, has been cloned from 7-day-old soybean seedlings. Putative SferH-5 has 96% identity with SferH-1 reported previously. All the five amino acid variants distributed in the mature region are not involved in highly conserved residues associated with ferroxidase activity center. We speculate that SferH-5 encodes a novel 26.5-kDa subunit of soybean seed ferritin, which is designated H-5 in this study. Recombinant H-5 was able to assemble, together with co-expressed H-2, as a functional soybean seed ferritin-like complex, H-5/H-2. Our data reveal the potential heterogeneity of the 26.5-kDa subunit of soybean seed ferritin.
FEBS Letters 01/2008; 581(30):5796-802. · 3.54 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Transgenic insect-resistant cotton containing a synthetic version of the insecticidal toxin gene from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki has been planted in China in a large scale and may have adverse impacts on soil organisms. The leaves of the transgenic cotton and the non-transgenic parental cotton were collected and their impacts on the earthworm, Eisenia fetida, were tested in laboratory studies. No significant acute toxicity on E. fetida from oral exposure to the transgenic cotton line, GK19, was detected. The average weight, numbers of cocoons and new offsprings of E. fetida in the GK19 groups were all higher than in the Simian3 groups, but the differences were not significant.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
