18 
XIV. REQUEST FCR LCWERING OF CXXnMNMEMT UNDER ITEM 4 OF APPEMDIX E 
Dr. Scandalice introduced the request (tabs 969, 976/6) of Dr. Mary-Dell 
Chilton of Washington Uiiversity in St. Louis to reduce ^^sical con- 
tainment to P2 for the nanipulaticMi in Agrobacterium tumefaciens of (1) 
the Saccharoiyoes cerevisiae alcohol dehydrogenase 1 gene and ( 2 ) the 
gene coding for the maize ( Z^ mays ) seed storage protein, zein. The 
clCT>ed ENA and the vectors will be introduced into tobacco plants. 
Dr. Scandalios said these experiments are currently covered by iten 4 
of i^pendix E which specifies P3 ccxitainment conditions. He said 
Dr. Chilton requests a lowering of containment as the recorfcinant DNAs 
used in the manipulations are well-characterized. Dr. Scandalios recom- 
mended that the specified e;^riments be permitted under PI containment 
ccMiditions and so moved. Dr. Brill concurred. 
^ a vote of fifteen in favor, none opposed, and four abstentions, the 
RAC recommended Dr. Scandalios' motion. 
XV. REQUEST TO CLONE SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE ENA IN TEIRAHYMENA 
Dr. Maas began discussion of the request (tabs 979, 976/4) of Dr. Eduardo 
Orias of the University of California, Santa Barbara, to clone Sacchar- 
onyces cerevisiae ENA in Tetrahymena thermog^ila using ^ cerevisiae/ 
E. coli h^rid plasmids. Dr. Orias, in support of his request, noted 
that Tetrahymena thermct^ila is a unicellular eukaryote of no known 
pathogenicity. Dissemination of genetic informaticxi between members 
of the species by means other than eulcaryotic ocxijugation has not been 
demonstrated. 
Dr. Levine said this request is an example of experiments v^ich would be 
covered by the new proposed mechanism ocxiceming non-^thogenic prokaryotes 
and non-pathogenic lower eukaryotes (see item VII of these minutes). 
Dr. Maas moved acc^tanoe of the proposal at the PI cxxitainment level. 
Dr. Levine seccxided the motion. By a unanimous vote of nineteen in 
favor, RAC recommended the action. 
XVI. DRAFT PROPOSAL ON TOXINS 
Dr. Maas said, in his mind, the clcxiing of toxin genes may be among the 
few real potential hazards posed by recombinant ENA experiments. 
Dr. Maas said an ^ hoc group composed of Dr. Alan Bemheimer of New 
York Ikiiversity, Dr. John Collier of Yale Ikiiversity, Dr. Michael Gill 
of Tufts Uiiversity, Dr. Susan Gottesman of NIH, Dr. ^tyrcxl Levine of 
the University of Maryland, Dr. James Mason of the Utah State Departitent 
of Health, and himself had met to ocxvsider eppropriate cxxitainment for 
recombinant ENA eiperiments in\rolving genes cxxiing for toxins. 
[ 46 ] 
