Transcript Applications for Genetic Engineering

Biotechnology- When biology
meets technology
Why is genetic engineering a valuable
tool in Biology?
What is biotechnology?
• Application of biological techniques to
manipulate DNA to benefit humans
• Biotechnology has impacted the fields of
forensics, medicine, and agriculture.
Biotechnology- Forensics
• Forensics uses scientific techniques to collect
evidence
• Used to analyze different DNA samples at a
crime scene or to determine paternity of a
child and compare it to a known sample
• Process is called DNA fingerprinting and uses
the technique of gel electrophoresis to
conduct the DNA fingerprinting.
Forensics- DNA Fingerprinting process
• Take DNA samples and use restriction enzymes to cut
the DNA at certain sites.
• The samples are placed in an agarose gel and into an
electrophoresis machine where electrical charges are
used to separate the pieces of DNA by size and
molecular weight
• Creates a banding pattern for each sample
• If a crime scene blood sample was taken and a suspects
sample matches up with the crime scene definitive
evidence of guilt. In paternity tests matching band
pattern must be seen between child and father
Process of electrophoresis
DNA Fingerprinting Animation
• http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/conten
t/chp16/1602001.html
• http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/ani
mations/content/paternitytesting.html
Which suspect was at the crime
scene?
Selective Breeding and Hybridization
Allowing only organisms with desired traits to produce
offspring
Crossing dissimilar organisms to bring together the best of
both organisms
Examples:
Mule – Donkey and Horse
Liger – Lion and Tiger
Tangelo – Tangerine and
Pomelo
Wheat plants – Mostly hybrids
Selected for ability to resist disease,
weather tolerance, and produce
the most grains
Advantages/Disadvantages
Perks: Allows for desired improvement of a species.
Humans select traits that they find appealing.
Disadvantages:
• Beef Cattle – Bigger cattle produces more meat.
More meat = More $
“Double Muscling”
• (Problems with birthing) cows have a harder time
birthing their young because they are too big.
• Loss of certain traits over time if the same ones
are repeatedly passed down.
Advantages/Disadvantages
• Sterility results in some animals which means
they cannot produce offspring.
• Generally will make plants hardier and more
disease resistant.
• Can combine disease resistance with foodproducing capabilities. (Crops)
Biotechnology in Medicine
( Recombinant DNA Technology)Transformation
• Genetic alternation of one
organism’s DNA to transform it to
express a section of another
organism (foreign) DNA
•
Bacteria are usually used as
vectors to place beneficial genes
inside because they can mass
produce the gene quickly
Example: Using bacteria to create
insulin. Humans use the bacterial
plasmid to insert desired genes and
have the bacteria produce the product
in this case, human insulin. Using
transformation is a faster and cheaper
process to assist humans need for
insulin.
Recombinant DNA Technology in
Agriculture- Genetic Engineering in
Plants
• Recombinant transformation can also happen
with crops  called plant hybridization
• Desired genes can be inserted into crop DNA
to:
– enhance the vitamins by inserting genes for
specific vitamins (golden rice- enhanced with
Vitamin A)
– Resist certain insects, can tolerate herbicides,
prevent rotting
Insulin Transformation
Food Genetic Engineering- GMO
• Genetically Modified Foods
– Rice, tomatoes, corn, and other common food products
have been genetically modified withstand harsher
tempertures, grow larger, be preserved longer on
shelves,make toxins so pests don’t eat them.
– Cows that produce human milk (contain human gene)
Advantages of Biotechnology in
Agriculture
• Advantage- Can help individuals that have
deficiencies.
• Advantage- Crop yield increases and can have
a longer life
• Advantage- farmers can charge and make
more money
• Advantage- the food that we eat may contain
more nutrients
Disadvantages of Biotechnology in
Agriculture
• May cause health related issues in human (e.g. allergic
reactions) since the inserted genes come from a
foreign vector and the foods are not labeled if they
have been genetically modified. Not FDA regulated
• Environmental threat- herbicide tolerant crop plants do
not die when exposed to weed killing chemicals, so an
increased amount may have to be sprayed to ensure
greater weed control can affect the habitats of other
animals in the
• Genetic pollution- cross pollination of genetically
modified plants can become pollinated by nongenetically modified plants by wind, birds, and insects.
Genetically Modified Foods
• http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/pr
ogramme_gmf/programme_gmf_er_res2.html
Biotechnology- Gene Therapy
• Use a vector (virus) and place needed genes in
to replace faulted genes
• Used for cancer therapy, replacing missing
factors and enzymes in organism
Gene Therapy
• http://www.edu365.cat/aulanet/comsoc/Lab_
bio/simulacions/GeneTherapy/GeneTherapy.h
tm
Cloning
• Creating an identical copy of something – produced from a
single cell.
• When cloning animals we are not certain about the effects on
the created organism. Usually cloned organisms are sick and
do not live very long.
– Ex. Dolly and premature aging
Advantages of cloning
• Creating tissues for transplantation that would
not be rejected by the organism- therapeutic
cloning
• Using these tissues to help fight diseases like
Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s (replace damages
brain cells)
• Create therapeutic proteins like antibodies
(monoclonal antibodies)and have several
copies
Disadvantages of cloning
• Reduced the variety in a species since all
organisms have the same genetic information.
Think of cloning humans…we would all have
the exact same traits not good as a species
• Organisms that are cloned usually experience
premature aging
• Going against the natural order of things in
the world.
Therapeutic Cloning- Stem Cell
Research
•Stem cell: cells found within the
body that have not become
specialized for a particular function
•Found in adult bone marrow,
umbilical cord blood, and human
embryos
•May be able to take a patient’s own
disease free cells and grow them
outside of the body when needed
and alter them to create a specific
cell type that is needed
• Re-introduce them into patient for
possible therapy benefits