A
biological technology developed by
Monsanto to
complement their
Roundup weed-killer. Roundup (
glyphosate) is a semi-
biodegradable herbicide which works by inhibiting
plant enolpyruvylshikimate-phosphate synthase (EPSPS). This
enzyme is involved in
aromatic amino acid (
phenylalanine,
tyrosine, and
tryptophan)
synthesis pathways and is thus crucial for normal
protein synthesis in
cells.
Roundup Ready plants have been genetically engineered to contain a bacterial EPSPS gene as well as their original one. The bacterial enzyme is not inhibited by glyphosate. As a result, the engineered plants are resistant to Roundup.
As with many GMO's and related technologies, Roundup Ready has been the subject of much heated debate between Monsanto, scientists, and anti-GMO groups such as Greenpeace. Some of the issues include economic exploitation of farmers, the human health effects of Roundup, and the danger of the gene "escaping" to wild relatives of crop plants.