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Open AccessJournal ArticleDOI

Genetically engineered (modified) crops (Bacillus thuringiensis crops) and the world controversy on their safety

Mohamed Samir Tawfik Abbas
- 01 Jun 2018 - 
- Vol. 28, Iss: 1, pp 1-12
TLDR
There is a worldwide controversy about the safety of Bt crops to the environment and mammals, and some researchers support the cultivation of BT crops depending upon the results of their laboratory and field studies on the safety, while others, however, are against Bt crop as they may cause risk to human.
Abstract
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops are plants genetically engineered (modified) to contain the endospore (or crystal) toxins of the bacterium, Bt to be resistant to certain insect pests. In 1995, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in USA approved the commercial production and distribution of the Bt crops: corn, cotton, potato, and tobacco. Currently, the most common Bt crops are corn and cotton. The crystal, referred to as Cry toxins, is proteins formed during sporulation of some Bt strains and aggregate to form crystals. Such Cry toxins are toxic to specific species of insects belongs to orders: Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Nematoda. In 2016, the total world area cultivated with genetically modified crops (GM crops) reached about 185 million ha. This review shows that there is a worldwide controversy about the safety of Bt crops to the environment and mammals. Some researchers support the cultivation of Bt crops depending upon the results of their laboratory and field studies on the safety of such crops. Others, however, are against Bt crops as they may cause risk to human.

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Citations
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Modern Techniques in Colorado Potato Beetle ( Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say) Control and Resistance Management: History Review and Future Perspectives

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Recent Advances in Engineered Nanoparticles for RNAi-Mediated Crop Protection Against Insect Pests

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI

Insecticidal crystal proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis.

TL;DR: In this article, a classification for crystal protein genes of Bacillus thuringiensis is presented, based on the insecticidal spectra and the amino acid sequences of the encoded proteins.

Insecticidal crystal proteins of Bacilllus thuringiensis

H. Höfte, +1 more
TL;DR: Studies on the biochemical mechanisms of toxicity suggest that B. thuringiensis crystal proteins induce the formation of pores in membranes of susceptible cells, and these approaches are potentially powerful strategies for the protection of agriculturally important crops against insect damage.
Journal ArticleDOI

Mode of action of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry and Cyt toxins and their potential for insect control.

TL;DR: Recent evidence suggests that Cyt synergize or overcome resistance to mosquitocidal-Cry proteins by functioning as a Cry-membrane bound receptor, and compares them to the mode of action of other bacterial PFT.
Journal ArticleDOI

Revision of the Nomenclature for the Bacillus thuringiensis Pesticidal Crystal Proteins

TL;DR: A new nomenclature, based on hierarchical clustering using amino acid sequence identity, is proposed, consisting of 133 crystal proteins comprising 24 primary ranks are systematically arranged.
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