Metabolic profiling characterizes the genetic diversity of genetically modified and conventional rice

Three genetically modified (GM) rice varieties were developed: drought-tolerant, insect-resistant, and marker-free transgenic Bt rice. The metabolomic approaches were applied to the seeds and leaves of three GM rice plants to comparatively investigate the effects of genetic modification on GM and non-GM rice. Among the non-GM rice, commercial rice consisting of japonica, indica, and japonica x indica (hybrid) subspecies was grown in a greenhouse together with GM rice. Multivariate analysis revealed that natural genotypes (japonica, indica, and hybrids) had a much stronger effect on rice seed and leave compositions than genetic modifications. Compared to japonica rice, raffinose and inositol were higher in the seeds and leaves of indica and hybrid rice, suggesting a metabolic phenotype for the genetic diversity of subspecies with different origins. Our results demonstrated that metabolomics approaches can be used to evaluate the unintended effects of GM and non-GM rice ingredients. Furthermore, metabolic profiling reflects the natural variability of the metabolites associated with their origins.