Abstract

The presence of common enterobacterial genes (wec E, F), the ubiquitous plant chloroplast gene of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit (rbcL), maize intrinsic zein (Ze1) and recombinant cry1Ab genes in the gastrointestinal (GI) contents, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and visceral organs of mice and their progeny were examined by PCR. The wec E, F or rbcL were detected inconsistently in the PBMC, visceral organs, milk or liver of suckling mice, while Ze1 or cry1Ab were not detected. These results suggest that feed derived plant or enterobacterial DNAs were incompletely degraded in the GI tract, and part of them were absorbed into organs or milk as a source of transfer into suckling mice, but cry1Ab was not transferred. Detection of bacterial genes also suggested the influence of the immune system through stimulation of Toll-like receptor 9.

Submitted: September 28, 2007 · Accepted: May 16, 2008 · Published: November 20, 2008

Recommended Citation

Nakasuji, Michiko; Koyama, Syu; Takeuchi, Shotaro; Mikami, Osamu; Tanimura, Nobuhiko; and Nakajima, Yasuyuki (2008) "The Transfer of Ingested Plant and Enterobacterial Gene Fragments into Mice Bodies and Their Shift to the Livers of Suckling Mice Through Mother's Milk," International Journal of Food Engineering: Vol. 4 : Iss. 8, Article 6.
DOI: 10.2202/1556-3758.1296
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/ijfe/vol4/iss8/art6