Food Safety
Online ISSN : 2187-8404
ISSN-L : 2187-8404
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Displaying 1-3 of 3 articles from this issue
Original Article
  • Taira Miyahara, Hitomi Ohkubo, Yukiko Umeyama, Taichi Oguchi, Takumi O ...
    2024 Volume 12 Issue 1 Pages 1-16
    Published: 2024
    Released on J-STAGE: March 22, 2024
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    Supplementary material

    Transgrafting, a grafting technique that uses both genetically modified (GM) and non-GM plants, is a novel plant breeding technology that can be used to improve the efficiency of crop cultivation without introducing foreign genes into the edible parts of non-GM plants. This technique can facilitate the acquisition of disease resistance and/or increased yield. However, the translocation of low-molecular-weight compounds, ribonucleic acid (RNA), and proteins through graft junctions raises a potential safety risk for food crops. Here, we used a transgenic tobacco plant expressing a firefly luciferase gene (LUC) to examine the translocation of the LUC protein beyond the graft junction in grafted plants. We observed the bi-directional translocation of LUC proteins in transgrafted tobacco plants, i.e., from the rootstock to scion and vice versa. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that transcripts of the LUC gene were undetectable in non-GM plant bodies, indicating that the LUC protein itself was translocated. Moreover, the movement of the LUC protein is an episodic (i.e., non-continuous) event, since non-GM samples showing high LUC activity were flanked by non-GM samples showing no apparent LUC activity. Translocation from the GM to non-GM part depends on the characteristics of GM plant bodies; here, the enhanced translocation of the LUC protein into the non-GM scion was observed when LUC-expressing rootstocks with hairy roots were used. Moreover, the quantity of translocated LUC protein was far below the level that is generally required to induce an allergenic response. Finally, since the LUC protein levels of plants used for transgrafting are moderate and the LUC protein itself is relatively unstable, further investigation is necessary regarding whether the newly expressed protein in GM plants is highly stable, easily translocated, and/or highly expressed.

Editorial
  • Yasushi Yamazoe
    2024 Volume 12 Issue 1 Pages 17
    Published: 2024
    Released on J-STAGE: March 22, 2024
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS

    RETRACTED: Development and Evaluation of Fluorescence Immunochomatography for Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Thermophilic Campylobacter. Food Safety. 2021; 9(3): 81–87. doi: 10.14252/foodsafetyfscj.D-21-00006.

    Hiroshi Asakura, Junko Sakata, Yoshimasa Sasaki, Kentaro Kawatsu

    Food Safety decided to retract this article in which the primary author misconducted as reported from the primary author’s affiliation.

    March 22, 2024

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Meeting Report
  • Shigeki Yamamoto, Satoshi Asano, Toru Kawanishi, Masako Waki
    2024 Volume 12 Issue 1 Pages 18-24
    Published: 2024
    Released on J-STAGE: March 22, 2024
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML

    Food Safety Commission, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan (FSCJ) was established in 2003 and marked its 20th anniversary in 2023. FSCJ held a commemorative ceremony and symposium to celebrate its 20th anniversary at Mita conference hall (Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo) on September 1st, 2023, which attracted a total of 164 on-site attendees including six media companies, as well as 460 online viewers. FSCJ Chairperson Dr. YAMAMOTO gave a summary of each session; Session 1 outlined the various future challenges against which risk assessment organizations must prepare. In Session 2, panelists shared information on the development of new evaluation methodologies and international collaborations in order to meet various global demands and issues. In Session 3, the FSCJ introduced its future initiatives and called for international collaboration in sharing information and expertise to address data gaps and emerging issues, to which all panelists expressed their support. The importance of personnel development to tackle these challenges was also raised. In concluding the seminar, Dr. YAMAMOTO expressed that the common understanding gained from this occasion was the most fruitful achievement, owing to the international colleagues who shared their thought-provoking presentations and insights.

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