Some indications that some common practices in conventional farming could be daamaging to one's health jean-claude :] important new study shows round-up unsafe for human exposure] > > > The study below shows effect of glyphosate on cell cycle controls.The > implications on human health are profound. Such studies should not be > ignored by regulators! > Chem Res Toxicol 2002 Mar;15(3):326-31 Pesticide Roundup Provokes > Cell Division Dysfunction at the Level of CDK1/Cyclin B Activation. > > Marc J, Mulner-Lorillon O, Boulben S, Hureau D, Durand G, Belle R. > > Station Biologique de Roscoff, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie (UFR > 937), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, UMR 7127), BP > 74, 29682 Roscoff Cedex, France. > > To assess human health risk from environmental chemicals, we have > studied the effect on cell cycle regulation of the widely used > glyphosate-containing pesticide Roundup. As a model system we have used > sea urchin embryonic first divisions following fertilization, which are > appropriate for the study of universal cell cycle regulation without > interference with transcription. We show that 0.8% Roundup (containing 8 > mM glyphosate) induces a delay in the kinetic of the first cell cleavage > of sea urchin embryos. The delay is dependent on the concentration of > Roundup. The delay in the cell cycle could be induced using increasing > glyphosate concentrations (1-10 mM) in the presence of a subthreshold > concentration of Roundup 0.2%, while glyphosate alone was ineffective, > thus indicating synergy between glyphosate and Roundup formulation > products. The effect of Roundup was not lethal and involved a delay in > entry into M-phase of the cell cycle, as judged cytologically. Since > CDK1/cyclin B regulates universally the M-phase of the cell cycle, we > analyzed CDK1/cyclin B activation during the first division of early > development. Roundup delayed the activation of CDK1/cyclin B in vivo. > Roundup inhibited also the global protein synthetic rate without > preventing the accumulation of cyclin B. In summary, Roundup affects > cell cycle regulation by delaying activation of the CDK1/cyclin B > complex, by synergic effect of glyphosate and formulation products. > Considering the universality among species of the CDK1/cyclin B > regulator, our results question the safety of glyphosate and Roundup on > human health. > >