Genetically modified grass snuffs out hayfever

New Scientist ^ | 19:00 18 June 03 | Rachel Nowak, Melbourne

[DannyTN]

A hypoallergenic grass genetically modified to lack two common hay-fever allergens is set to enter field trials in the US.

The researchers behind the GM grass hope it will help shift public opinion around the world in favour of GM crops. "The beauty of this grass is that it will benefit the wider public not just the primary producer," says German Spangenberg of the Plant Biotechnology Centre at La Trobe University in Melbourne.

Perennial and Italian ryegrasses, the types Spangenberg and his team have genetically modified, are sown for lawns and pasture around the world and account for 70 per cent of grass seed sold in the European Union. Ryegrass is the main cause of hay fever in Europe and Australia, although ragweed triggers more hay fever attacks in the US.

Hypoallergenic ryegrass lawns and pasture could conceivably help reduce the incidence of hay fever, says allergy expert Tim O'Meara, of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney.

But they are not the whole solution, he cautions. "The big problem [is] other grasses. If someone is allergic to ryegrass, they will also react to almost all temperate grasses."

Reduced by half

Spangenberg and his colleagues exploited similar techniques to those used to produce insect-resistant Bt maize. They have developed several strains of ryegrass in which one or both of the two main pollen allergens are reduced by up to 50 per cent, they will tell the International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology in Barcelona next week.

But do not throw away your antihistamine medicine just yet, as the grasses are at least five years away from market. Field trials aimed at finding out how far pollen from the grasses travels and how frequently it pollinates other grasses are due to start in November.

Safeguards will be included to minimise the chances of the grass and its pollen escaping. And the researchers will take the opportunity to cross-breed the plants to create a grass in which the two pollen allergens are blocked completely.

But not everyone is convinced that sniffle-free grass will have what it takes to change public perceptions of GM crops. "It's not just about what's in it for me. Regardless of any traits that make plants more consumer friendly, some sectors of the public will have broader concerns about the environment," says Gyorgy Scrinis of Friends of the Earth Australia.

Related Stories

Seeds more risky than pollen for GM escape 18 June 2003

Gene silencing could wipe out farm pests 10 March 2003

Biotech researchers create safer soybeans 13 September 2002

For more related stories search the print edition Archive

Weblinks

Allergy, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Sydney

International Society for Plant Molecular Biology

International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology

Friends of the Earth Australia

GM food, New Scientist

More digestible

Another possible stumbling block for the hypoallergenic ryegrass is the lack of incentive for farmers. To remedy this, Spangenberg's team has also developed a GM ryegrass that is more digestible than normal.

It contains modified lignin, which stiffens plant cell walls, and more of the highly digestible energy source fructan than regular grass, enabling cows to produce up to 25 per cent more milk from the same amount of fodder.

The researchers' eventual aim is to create a combined sniffle-free, high-energy ryegrass, says Spangenberg.

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[DannyTN]

I may have some reservations about modifying food, especially with insect genes and whatnot. But if you can kill hayfever, I say let the gene modification genie out of the bottle post haste.

[Squawk 8888]

From the headline I thought this was about medical marijuana.