100 Years of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) - A Paradigm for Transgenic Organisms: A Critical Scientific Assessment to be held March 30-April 1, 2001, in Tucson, Arizona

苏云金芽孢杆菌(Bt)100年--座谈会当今公共领域的主要问题之一是关于转基因植物种植的争议。这个问题是国际性的，涉及农民、消费者、农药制造商、环保主义者和跨国公司。互联网上的激烈辩论和会议室外街道上的示威活动确保了这些问题每天都得到新闻报道。也许讨论最激烈的单一特征是苏云金芽孢杆菌(Bt)毒素的使用。这种毒素的基因已经被克隆并导入到包括棉花、玉米和小麦在内的多种植物中。此前，这种毒素被喷洒在农作物上--显然没有不良影响--主要是为了抵御鳞翅目昆虫。没有爆发重大争议，因为证明在某些条件下，这种毒素会杀死帝王蝶。利用Bt改良植物是所有植物基因工程的范例。拟议的座谈会的主要目标是考虑Bt的所有方面，但重点是转基因植物。我们将分析Bt的科学背景，并考虑其作用方式、昆虫对毒素的抗性机制以及对非靶标生物的影响等问题。将考虑的其他问题包括转基因植物的食品安全问题，使用Bt对生物多样性的威胁，以及这些改良对化学杀虫剂使用的影响。我们计划于2001年3月30日至4月1日在亚利桑那州图森市召开这次座谈会。尽管Bt的有毒特性早在一个世纪前就被发现了，但这是关于这个主题的第一次广泛的座谈会。座谈会将汇集具有广泛专业知识的科学家，以审议一个具有广泛政治和社会影响的问题的科学。参与者将拥有以下科学学科的专业知识：微生物学、昆虫学、生态学、种群生物学、风险评估和植物。在座谈会之后，将编写一份报告--印刷版和电子版--这份报告将是分析性的和全面的，但会提出切实可行的建议。

100 Years of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)- A Colloquium One of the major issues in the public domain today is the controversy regarding the cultivation of modified plants. This issue is international in scope and involves farmers, consumers, pesticide manufacturers, environmentalists, and multinational corporations. Heated debates on the Internet and demonstrations on the streets outside meeting rooms have ensured that these issues receive daily press coverage. Perhaps the single trait most vigorously discussed is the use of the toxin of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The gene for this toxin has been cloned and introduced into a wide variety of plants, including cotton, corn, and wheat. Previously, the toxin has been sprayed on crops- apparently without ill effects-protecting primarily against Lepidopteron insects.A major controversy has not erupted with the demonstration that, under certain conditions, the toxin will kill monarch butterflies. The use of Bt to improve plants serves as the paradigm for all genetic engineering of plants.The primary objective of the proposed colloquium is to consider all aspects of Bt, but focus on modified plants. We will analyze the scientific background of Bt and consider such questions as its mode of action, mechanism of insect resistance to the toxin, and its effect on nontarget organisms. Other questions that will be considered are questions of food safety of modified plants, threats to biodiversity from the use of Bt, and the effect on the use of chemical pesticides resulting from these modifications. We plan to convene this colloquium March 30-April 1, 2001, in Tucson, Arizona.Although the toxic properties of Bt were discovered a century ago, this is the first far-ranging colloquium that has been held on this subject. The colloquium will bring together scientists with broad expertise to consider the science of an issue with broad political and social implications. Participants will have expertise in the following scientific disciplines: microbiology, entomology, ecology, population biology, risk assessment, and plants. Following the colloquium, a report will be developed-in both print and electronic formats-that will be analytical and comprehensive, yet offer practical recommendations.