The abbreviation in the title derives from the English term: Genetically Modified Organisms and it is related to biotechnological issues. IT and biotechnology are developing at an immense pace because these sciences have, amongst others, huge application potential. IT encounters a positive public feedback, while many areas of biotechnology are criticised severely by the public. We want to help our readers in realizing the substance of the issue by publishing three articles dealing with this subject.
Plants, the basic component of human diet, are in the focus of attention of genetic engineers trying to restructure the physiological functions of cells and tissues. Studies conducted to date do not show any adverse impact of GMO-s on the natural environment or human organism.
Foreign DNA can integrate into DNA genomes via two main classes of integration mechanisms: homologous recombination that draws on sequence similarity between the integrating sequences and the DNA genomes and non-homologous, or, illegitimate integration. Illegitimate integration of foreign DNA facilitates the modification of a cell’s genetic content and produces transgenic animals but this process can have dramatic repercussions on the content, organization, and function of the recipient genome. A better understanding of the mechanisms and factors governing illegitimate DNA integration would help reduce the risk of unforeseeable genomic alterations. The article discusses the current state of knowledge about integrating foreign DNA and its consequences.