*Parent Organism:
Common Name:Wheat
Scientific Names:Triticum aestivum L. em Thell.
*Modified traits:
Categories:Altered grain starch composition
Altered grain storage protein composition
Antibiotic resistance
Description:Wheat plants have been genetically modified for altered grain composition. The plants may also contain an antibiotic resistance marker.
*Genes responsible for conferring the modified traits:
Refer to Table 1 of this attachment.
Purpose of the dealings with the GMOs:
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation applied for a licence to release 16 lines of genetically modified (GM) wheat into the environment on a limited scale and under controlled conditions. The purpose of the trial is to generate enough grain to examine dough properties and end quality of grain products, and to conduct experiments to determine if nutritional value is altered. Some seed will be collected and retained for analysis and possible future trials, subject to further approval(s).

Grain storage proteins are important for determining dough characteristics such as extensibility and elasticity. Alteration of these characteristics may lead to improved or new wheat products. Alteration of grain starch characteristics may change the nutritional value of wheat products leading to health benefits.

* Information that must be included in the Record of GM Products and GMO dealings.

Table 1: Genes responsible for conferring the modified traits.

CategoryMaximum number of linesGMO groupConstructs present1Gene fragment in RNAi construct2Construct descriptionSource of RNAi insertMarker gene/s3May be fed to animals4
Altered grain storage proteins4γ-gliadin RNAipBX17GldupOne fragment from each of four γ-gliadinsγ-gliadin RNAi expression vectorWheatNPTII, blaNo
2α-gliadin RNAipBx17AdupTwo fragments from each of three α-gliadinsα-gliadin RNAi expression vectorWheatNPTII, blaNo
Altered grain starch4[this is Confidential Commercial Information]RNAi expression vectorWheatNPTII, blaYes
4[this is Confidential Commercial Information]RNAi expression vectorWheatNPTII, blaYes
2[this is Confidential Commercial Information]RNAi binary vectorWheatNPTII, blaYes
RNAi expression vectorWheat


1Constructs must be as described in table 2 of the Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan (RARMP); all lines may also contain the construct pCMneoSTLS2, which contains the NPTII gene.
2Gene fragments must be as described in table 1 of the RARMP.
3 Neomycin phosphotranferase II (NPTII) confers resistance to the antibiotic kanamycin and is expressed from the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter; b-lactamase (bla) is expressed from its own promoter; both genes are derived from Escherichia coli.
4Permission to feed GM Products to animals is subject to further licence conditions.