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closeReferee comments: Referee 1
Posted by PLOS_ONE_Group on 20 Mar 2008 at 18:42 GMT
Referee 1's review:
Title: "A Built-in Strategy for Containment of Transgenic Plants: Creation of Selectively Terminable Transgenic Rice" by Chaoyang Lin, Xiaoli Xu, Jun Fang, Te Zhao, Jiaan Cheng, Juming Tu, and Zhi-Cheng Shen.
This report describes the production of a new terminable construct that is useful to produce transgenic rice. The work is well designed and results are interesting. The manuscript is well written and data are appropriately discussed. The work has the potential to be applicable to genetically improve rice. A couple of modifications could further improve the study:
1. Quantitative data and statistical analysis: Qualitatively, the result provides a compelling case. Information needed on what was the population tested, how many repeats were used, etc.
2. Dosage information: Two dosages of bentazon were used 1000mg/L and 1500mg/L. No justification was provided as to why. The transgenic response to different dosages of the herbicide should be presented. Are there variations in the dosage response? The dosage used seems to be quite high. Would that cause any environmental problem?
3. Clarification on function of bentazon: This compound was introduced as a rice herbicide, but then conventional rice is resistant to it....Was this due to the change of the bentazon detoxification enzyme CYP81A6 ?
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N.B. These are the comments made by the referee when reviewing an earlier version of this paper. Prior to publication the manuscript has been revised in light of these comments and to address other editorial requirements.