Suchergebnisse

Retrotransposons and retroviruses share similar intracellular life cycles and major encoded proteins, but retrotransposons lack the envelope (env) critical for infectivity. Retrotransposons are ubiquitous and abundant in plants and active retroviruses are known in animals. Although a few env-containing retroelements,gypsy-like Athila, Cyclops, andCalypso and copia-like SIRE-1, have been identified in plants, the general presence and functionality of the domain remains unclear. We show here that env-class elements are present throughout the flowering plants and are widely transcribed. Within the grasses, we show the transcription of the envdomain itself for Bagy-2 and related retrotransposons, all members of the Athila group. Furthermore, Bagy-2transcripts undergo splicing to generate a subgenomic envproduct as do those of retroviruses. Transcription and the polymorphism of their insertion sites in closely related barley cultivars suggests that at least some are propagationally active. The putative ENV polypeptides of Bagy-2 and rice Rigy-2 contain predicted leucine zipper and transmembrane domains typical of retroviral ENVs. These findings raise the prospect of active retroviral agents among the plants. ; C.M.V was supported by Academy of Finland Project 44404, R.K. by the European Union Research Directorate under contract QLK5- 1999-01499, and A.H.S. in part by an Academy of Finland Senior Fellowship. ; Peer reviewed

Abstract
Following a request from the European Commission, the GMO Panel assessed additional information related to the application for authorisation of food and feed containing, consisting of and produced from genetically modified soybean MON × MON 87708 × MON 89788 (EFSA‐GMO‐NL‐2015‐126). The applicant conducted a 90‐day feeding study on GM soybean MON 87705 and provided a proposal for post‐market monitoring considering the altered fatty acid profile of GM soybean MON 87705 × MON 87708 × MON 89788, to fulfil the deficiencies identified by EFSA GMO Panel, addressing elements that remained inconclusive from a previous EFSA scientific opinion issued in 2020. The GMO Panel concludes that the 90‐day feeding study on GM soybean MON 87705 is in line with the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 503/2013 and that no treatment‐related adverse effects were observed in rats after feeding diets containing soybean MON 87705 meals at 30% or 15% for 90 days. The GMO Panel reiterates the recommendation for a PMM for food in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 and Regulation (EU) No 503/2013 and concludes that the proposal provided by the applicant is in line with the recommendations described for the PMM plan of soybean MON 87705 × MON 87708 × MON 89788 in the adopted scientific opinion. Taking into account the previous assessment and the new information, the GMO Panel concludes that soybean MON 87705 × MON 87708 × MON 89788, as assessed in the scientific opinion on application EFSA‐GMO‐NL‐2015‐126 and in the supplementary toxicity study, is as safe as its non‐GM comparator and the non‐GM reference varieties tested and does not represent a nutritional concern in humans and animals, within the scope of this application.