Development of an event-specific assay for the qualitative and quantitative detection of the genetically modified flax CDC Triffid (FP967)

- The genomic locus of the genetically modified flax event FP967 has been determined.
- An event-specific qualitative and quantitative assay has been established.
- Specificity and sensitivity for identification and quantification of FP967 flax.

The genetically modified flax, event FP967, with tolerance to sulfonylurea herbicides, is one of the commercial genetically modified events approved in Canada and USA.This event is not authorized in Switzerland and EU, therefore, a method to specifically detect the CDC Triffid line, was required. We revealed the 3′ integration junction sequence between host plant DNA and the integrated gene construct FP967 by means of Restriction Site PCR and both a qualitative and a quantitative PCR detection assays were developed. The qualitative PCR revealed a limit of detection of 0.01% of GM flax in 100 ng of genomic DNA. The quantitative PCR assay showed a limit of detection of about 9 haploid genome copies. The specificity and sensitivity of the assay indicate that the developed event-specific PCR methods can be used for identification and quantification of FP967 flax.