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Title: Occurrence, leaching, and degradation of Cry1Ab protein from transgenic maize detritus in agricultural streams

Journal Article · · Science of the Total Environment
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [4]
  1. Univ. of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN (United States)
  2. Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States)
  3. Loyola Univ. Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States)
  4. Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale, IL (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

The insecticidal Cry1Ab protein expressed by transgenic (Bt) maize can enter adjacent water bodies via multiple pathways, but its fate in stream ecosystems is not as well studied as in terrestrial systems. In this study, we used a combination of field sampling and laboratory experiments to examine the occurrence, leaching, and degradation of soluble Cry1Ab protein derived from Bt maize in agricultural streams. We surveyed 11 agricultural streams in northwestern Indiana, USA, on 6 dates that encompassed the growing season, crop harvest, and snowmelt/spring flooding, and detected Cry1Ab protein in the water column and in flowing subsurface tile drains at concentrations of 3–60 ng/L. In a series of laboratory experiments, submerged Bt maize leaves leached Cry1Ab into stream water with 1% of the protein remaining in leaves after 70 d. Laboratory experiments suggested that dissolved Cry1Ab protein degraded rapidly in microcosms containing water-column microorganisms, and light did not enhance breakdown by stimulating assimilatory uptake of the protein by autotrophs. Here, the common detection of Cry1Ab protein in streams sampled across an agricultural landscape, combined with laboratory studies showing rapid leaching and degradation, suggests that Cry1Ab may be pseudo-persistent at the watershed scale due to the multiple input pathways from the surrounding terrestrial environment.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1350930
Journal Information:
Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 592, Issue C; ISSN 0048-9697
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 10 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (2)

Bt Proteins Exacerbate Negative Growth Effects in Juvenile Rusty (F. rusticus) Crayfish Fed Corn Diet journal August 2019
Transport and instream removal of the Cry1Ab protein from genetically engineered maize is mediated by biofilms in experimental streams journal May 2019

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Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
genetically engineered crops
corn
Bacillus thuringiensis
agriculture
lotic
pseudo-persistent