<p style="text-align: justify;">Soybean line A5547-127 was developed through a specific genetic modification to allow the use of glufosinate ammonium, the active ingredient in phosphinothricin herbicides (Basta , Ignite , Rely , Liberty , Harvest , and Finale ) as a weed control option in soybean crops. The <i>pat</i> gene, conferring tolerance to glufosinate ammonium, was cloned from the common aerobic soil actinomycete, <i>Streptomyces viridochromogenes</i>, and encodes the enzyme phosphinothricin-N-acetyltransferase (PAT).</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Glufosinate is a short name for the ammonium salt, glufosinate-ammonium. It is a broad-spectrum contact herbicide and is used to control a wide range of weeds after the crop emerges or for total vegetation control on land not used for cultivation. Glufosinate is a natural compound isolated from two species of Streptomyces fungi. It inhibits the activity of an enzyme, glutamine synthetase, which is necessary for the production of glutamine and for ammonia detoxification. The application of glufosinate leads to reduced glutamine and increased ammonia levels in the plant tissues. This causes photosynthesis to stop and the plant dies within a few days. Glufosinate also inhibits the same enzyme in animals. It is highly biodegradable, has no residual activity, and very low toxicity for humans and wild fauna. The PAT enzyme detoxifies phosphinothricin by acetylation into an inactive compound.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">In the United States, the transgenic soybean lines A2704-12, A2704-21, and A5547-35 were designated as the antecedent organisms for A5547-127 for the purposes of conducting an environmental safety assessment. The soybean A5547-127 and its progeny were similar to the antecedent organisms as all of them were genetically engineered with a gene that confers resistance to the herbicide glufosinate, and they all exhibited similar agronomic characteristics. Based on the similarity between between A5547-127 and the antecedent organisms A2704-12, A2704-21, and A5547-35, and on an analysis of scientific data and field tests, the soybean line A5547-127 was judged not to have any characteristics that would have a significant impact on any beneficial organisms in the environment or on any threatened or endangered species.</p>
