Transcript Genetic Transformation - University of California, Irvine

Genetic
Transformation
What is transformation?
 When a cell takes up and expresses a new
piece of genetic material—DNA— in order to
change the organism’s traits
 A gene is a piece of DNA which provides the
instructions for making (coding for) a
particular protein
DNA
Protein
Trait
History of Transformation
 1928 – Fredrick Griffth first
described transformation
 Pneumococcus bacteria
(pneumonia) and mice
 1944 – Oswald Avery, Colin
MacLeod, Maclyn McCarty
identified the “transforming
principle” as DNA
History of Transformation
 1952 – Alfred Hershey and
Martha Chase provided
final proof that DNA was
the molecule of heredity
 1970 – Morton Mandel and
Akiko Higa developed a
protocol for transforming E.
coli bacteria
What is transformation used for?
 Agricultural
 Genes coding for traits such as frost, pest or
drought resistance can be genetically
transformed into plants
What is transformation used for?
 Environmental
 Bacteria can be genetically transformed with
genes enabling them to digest oil spills or
remove pollutants from the environment
What is transformation used for?
 Medical
 Production of human proteins to treat
genetic diseases
Protein
Disease/Disorder
Human insulin
Diabetes mellitus
Human Growth Hormone
Deficiency in children
Erythropoietin
Anemia
DNase I
Cystic fibrosis
Human antibody blocker
Asthma
What are we doing?
 We will transform bacteria (E. coli), giving it
the ability to make green fluorescent proteins
Green Fluorescent Protein
 Used in science as a visual marker…
 Biological processes (protein production)
 Localization and regulation of gene
expression
 Cell movement
 Cell fate during development
 Formation of different organs
 Marker to identify transgenic
organisms
How does it work?
Cell membrane
Bacterial
chromosomal
DNA
*plasmids*
Making Plasmids
Plasmid
+
Gene
=
pGLO Plasmid
GFP
araC
To make green
fluorescent proteins
To survive with
Ampicillin (antibiotic)