[DIYbio] Re: Transgenic CCD resistant honeybee - need help

Accidentally sent this as a private message rather than a post...
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Well, you have good answers for most of my questions!  Didn't realize you are only adding a few genes to start, that sounds more reasonable...  I'd still probably start with just 1...anyway hope the science works for you!

As for the legal aspect, you are right that FDA currently cannot regulate unless it's part of the food supply.  If you are making honey from the bees that would certainly qualify.  If they're just for pollination of food crops, it seems less clear.  EPA regulates GMOs that produce insecticide and fungicide proteins.  If you are including genes to fight fungi or mites, you may draw their attention.   USDA regulates GMOs that pose a "plant pest risk." Again it's not clear to me if your pesticide-resistance genes would put the GM bee in that category.  The laws are messy and your project would be pushing their limits! Any biotech law experts on the forum? :)

GMO bees would raise a lot of controversy.  Maybe rightly so since they could likely outcompete and displace normal bees.  If this project picks up and gets attention, keep a lawyer handy.

Mike

On Monday, May 5, 2014 3:01:23 PM UTC-4, Mega [Andreas Stuermer] wrote:

>This is a very cool project idea, but I think you are going to encounter a lot of roadblocks.  Even here in the US, which is kind of the wild west of GMOs, the FDA and EPA do assessments of >potential environmental and human health impact for anything that will be released and/or consumed.  

With the glowing plant there was no regulation, unless it was an edible plant.

And what I heard, US are more liberal with transgenic animals than plants. 

>This is expensive and lengthy, for animals more so than plants. The GMO salmon still haven't made it to market after 10+ years.  It's going to be even more difficult to get regulatory approval when >you're adding a ton of new genes. 

A ton = 4 :D at first it will be only GFP and three resistance genes against viruses and fungi.

If I can show a GFP bee, some investors will probably jump on the train. I hope so at least, I am willing to take the risk.

>Also, do you have any precedent for adding so many resistance genes to an insect? 

As for bees, no. 2 genes at the same time.

For other beetles, Idk. Nobody tries to make insects resistant. You usually want to kill them.

 >Are they contained in a single piece of DNA, and if so will it be able to get into the sperm?

Yes. And perhaps. But the probosed mechanism is that the DNA is attached to the sperms surface and gets inside the cell, as soon as they fuse.

On the other hand my construct is very small. I made it to put the 4 genes into 2100 bp. The original sperm-mediated paper also had at least 1500 bp (I didn't count it but GFP ~800 promoter ~500) and they also took terminator etc. 

> How high does the expression need to be for these genes to effective?  This has the potential to put stress on the cell metabolism, and make the bees less healthy.

Not very much, probably. I chose a medium promoter. 

>I won't say walk before you run, I think you're already running.  But maybe run more before you do an ultra-triathlon.

I love mega projects :D