BRAINCAKEGenetic Modification of Soya Bean
Soya is one of the most widely grown GM crops. Most soya grown in the USA, Brazil and Argentina is genetically modified.
Herbicide-tolerant soya
The main GM soya is tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate. Glyphosate kills plants by inhibiting the enzyme EPSPS, which is needed to make the aromatic amino acids (phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan). Without them the plant cannot make proteins and dies. Animals do not have this enzyme.
GM soya contains a gene for a version of EPSPS from a strain of the bacterium Agrobacterium that glyphosate does not inhibit. The soya can therefore still make aromatic amino acids when sprayed, while the weeds around it die.
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Key terms in this lesson
- allergenicity
- The potential of a protein to trigger an allergic reaction in some people.
More in Gene Technology
- Gene Silencing
- Transgenic Plants
- Cloning Plants
- Genetic Modification of Crops
- Gene Technology in Animals
- Gene Technology in Humans
- Knockout Mice
- Human Gene Therapy
All 17 lessons in Gene Technology · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics