# Genetic Modification - what irks me...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetic-modification-what-irks-me/85547>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [October 5, 2001, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetic-modification-what-irks-me/85547 "2001-10-05T10:53:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetic-modification-what-irks-me/85547/21 "2001-10-06T06:40:20Z")

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Another possible route of gene transfer is through viral transduction. I am not sure how common it is in plants, but it happens quite (evolutionarily) frequently in other organisms. It is one of many mechanisms of transfer of gene resistance in bacteria, for instance.

Ed, the molecular biologist also.

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**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetic-modification-what-irks-me/85547/22 "2001-10-06T06:59:07Z")

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Viral transduction is quite common in plants. Also check out [Agrobacterium tumefaciens](http://www.cc.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/mcclean/plsc731/transgenic/transgenic2.htm), most commonly used for genetic transformation in plants.

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