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A survey of crop-derived transgenes in activated and digester sludges in wastewater treatment plants in the United States.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Gardner, CM; Gwin, CA; Gunsch, CK
Published in: Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research
April 2018

The use of transgenic crops has become increasingly common in the United States over the last several decades. Increasing evidence suggests that DNA may be protected from enzymatic digestion and acid hydrolysis in the digestive tract, suggesting that crop-derived transgenes may enter into wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) intact. Given the historical use of antibiotic resistance genes as selection markers in transgenic crop development, it is important to consider the fate of these transgenes. Herein we detected and quantified crop-derived transgenes in WWTPs. All viable US WWTP samples were found to contain multiple gene targets (p35, nos, bla and nptII) at significantly higher levels than control samples. Control wastewater samples obtained from France, where transgenic crops are not cultivated, contained significantly fewer copies of the nptII gene than US activated and digester sludges. No significant differences were measured for the bla antibiotic resistance gene (ARG). In addition, a nested PCR (polymerase chain reaction) assay was developed that targeted the bla ARG located in regions flanked by the p35 promoter and nos terminator. Overall this work suggests that transgenic crops may have provided an environmental source of nptII; however, follow-up studies are needed to ascertain the viability of these genes as they exit WWTPs.

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Published In

Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research

DOI

EISSN

1996-9732

ISSN

0273-1223

Publication Date

April 2018

Volume

77

Issue

7-8

Start / End Page

1810 / 1818

Related Subject Headings

  • Wastewater
  • Waste Disposal, Fluid
  • United States
  • Transgenes
  • Sewage
  • Plants, Genetically Modified
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Drug Resistance, Microbial
  • Crops, Agricultural
  • Bioreactors
 

Citation

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Gardner, C. M., Gwin, C. A., & Gunsch, C. K. (2018). A survey of crop-derived transgenes in activated and digester sludges in wastewater treatment plants in the United States. Water Science and Technology : A Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research, 77(7–8), 1810–1818. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2018.051
Gardner, Courtney M., Carley A. Gwin, and Claudia K. Gunsch. “A survey of crop-derived transgenes in activated and digester sludges in wastewater treatment plants in the United States.Water Science and Technology : A Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research 77, no. 7–8 (April 2018): 1810–18. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2018.051.
Gardner CM, Gwin CA, Gunsch CK. A survey of crop-derived transgenes in activated and digester sludges in wastewater treatment plants in the United States. Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research. 2018 Apr;77(7–8):1810–8.
Gardner, Courtney M., et al. “A survey of crop-derived transgenes in activated and digester sludges in wastewater treatment plants in the United States.Water Science and Technology : A Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research, vol. 77, no. 7–8, Apr. 2018, pp. 1810–18. Epmc, doi:10.2166/wst.2018.051.
Gardner CM, Gwin CA, Gunsch CK. A survey of crop-derived transgenes in activated and digester sludges in wastewater treatment plants in the United States. Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research. 2018 Apr;77(7–8):1810–1818.

Published In

Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research

DOI

EISSN

1996-9732

ISSN

0273-1223

Publication Date

April 2018

Volume

77

Issue

7-8

Start / End Page

1810 / 1818

Related Subject Headings

  • Wastewater
  • Waste Disposal, Fluid
  • United States
  • Transgenes
  • Sewage
  • Plants, Genetically Modified
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Drug Resistance, Microbial
  • Crops, Agricultural
  • Bioreactors