Regulations governing the safety assessment of genetically engineered (GE) crops require studies that measure the expression levels of the transgene products (proteins and double-stranded RNA) in the GE crop; furthermore, the regulations also often mandate the inclusion of an entry of the GE crop that is sprayed with the herbicide to which tolerance was engineered and a non-sprayed entry of the GE crop in said studies. The hypothesized unique risk of altered transgene expression in response to application of herbicides related to herbicide-tolerant GE crops, compared with application of other herbicides, is not readily apparent. Field studies were conducted with GE maize, soybean, and cotton breeding stacks containing multiple herbicide tolerance traits; studies included plots that were sprayed with the trait-related herbicides and plots that were unsprayed. The GE herbicide-tolerance traits and complimentary herbicides investigated here comprise the majority of those that are currently in commercial use. Transgene product expression was characterized in crop tissues that were collected throughout the growing season. Results confirm the expectation, which is based on the fact that modes of action and regulatory elements in the genetic constructs of the herbicide-tolerance traits are well understood, that applying herbicides associated with GE herbicide-tolerance traits does not meaningfully affect transgene expression. These findings call into question the routine requirement for the inclusion of herbicide sprayed and non-sprayed entries in transgene-expression studies designed to support risk assessment.

中文翻译：

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喷雾和不喷雾除草剂耐受性基因工程作物中的转基因表达是等效的。

有关转基因作物安全性评估的法规要求进行研究，以测量转基因作物中转基因产物（蛋白质和双链RNA）的表达水平；此外，该法规还经常要求在上述研究中包括喷洒了经过改造的除草剂的GE作物的进入和非喷雾的GE作物的进入。与其他除草剂的施用相比，假设对施用与耐除草剂的转基因作物有关的除草剂做出响应而导致转基因表达发生改变的独特风险的假设尚不十分清楚。对含有多种除草剂耐受性特征的转基因玉米，大豆和棉花育种进行了田间研究。研究包括喷有性状相关除草剂的地块和未喷洒的地块。本文研究的GE耐除草剂性状和免费除草剂构成了目前商业上使用的大多数。在整个生长季节收集的农作物组织中对转基因产物的表达进行了表征。结果证实了期望，其基于以下事实：对除草剂耐受性状的遗传构建物中的作用方式和调控元件的了解已广为人知，即施用与GE除草剂耐受性性状相关的除草剂不会有意义地影响转基因表达。