Genetic Engineering- GMO S and Clones
I) Medical Applications A) Genetic Engineering is unraveling the mysteries of gene function during development and may eventually provide therapies for disease. B) Gene Therapy - treating a genetic disorder by introducing a new gene into a cell or by correcting a gene defect
Transgenic organisms or Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Organisms that contain genetic information from other species How does one do this? Take a gene from one organism and place it in another This idea has sparked the new booming industry of biotechnology.
IV)Agricultural Applications A) Scientist Hope to Increase Agricultural yields by: making plants that are more tolerant to environmental conditions. Plants resist weeds and insects. Scientist are trying to create a plant that does not need fertilizer V) Ethical Issues A) Bioethics is the study of ethical issues related to DNA technology. 1. People are afraid genetically engineered crops could spread out into the wild and wipe out the original plant species 2. Is it right for scientist to clone animals or eventually humans
Fun With Fireflies There is an enzyme that makes fireflies glow called Luciferase Could we take a gene out of an animal and put it in something else? Could we get things that don t glow, to glow
Glowing Tobacco Plant Put luciferase gene in a tobacco plant and you can get a glowing tobacco plant
Transgenic Microorganisms Before: Diabetics had to use insulin from cadavers Now: We make bacteria that produce human proteins such as insulin, growth hormone, clotting factor Future: Bacteria may produce substances to fight cancer, make raw materials for plastic and fibers
Transgenic Animals There are currently no transgenic animals that are approved for human consumption. But there are a lot of experimental studies being done.
Transgenic Animals ~Mice made to have human immune systems ~Livestock with growth hormone ~Chickens resistant to bacterial infections that cause us food poisoning ~Mad cow resistant cows ~Sheep and pigs that produce our proteins ~Spider web goats
Spider Web Goats? Take the gene for making spider web silk C. darwini silk is more than twice as tough as any previously described silk, and over 10 times tougher than Kevlar.
Put it in a goat Then milk it Extract the spider web silk in large quantities And we could have
The best bullet proof vest ever! Strongest steel cables And much more
Transgenic Plants Already here, already controversial You have already eaten transgenic plants! They are called GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms
Soy Beans 93% of soy beans today are genetically modified
Corn 86% of corn is genetically modified
Insect Resistant The bulk of both soy beans and corn that is genetically modified is modified to have a natural insecticide
Herbicide resistant Others resist weed killing chemicals
The other categories Virus resistant Delayed fruit ripening Altered oil control Pollen control
Transgenic Plant Myths The fish tomato and the fish berry Genetically modify plants to have a fish gene that makes them able to live in colder temperatures Experimentally tested, but never worked
Cloning
II) Cloning A) Cloning by Nuclear Transfer Is the process of cloning a whole organism
How to get a clone in 4 easy steps 1. Remove the nucleus of an egg
How to get a clone in 4 easy steps 2. Fuse egg with a cell taken from another organism 3. Place in the uterus of a foster mother 4. Foster mother gives birth to cloned baby
Donor Nucleus These two cells are fused using an electric shock. Fused Cell Egg Cell The nucleus of the egg cell is removed. An egg cell is taken from an adult female sheep. Embryo The embryo develops normally into a lamb Dolly The embryo is placed in the uterus of a foster mother. The fused cell begins dividing normally.
Any Cell Can Be Used to Make a Clone!!! Once thought that once cells differentiated, they could not be used to create a whole clone. Ex:Udder cells could not make an entire sheep, just more udder cells.
Dolly First time this was done in a mammal was in 1997 A gigantic scientific breakthrough at the time
We have also cloned Cows Pigs Mice Cats Dogs Horse Monkey
Cloned Mice Nucleus Donor Egg Donor Surrogate Mother Cloned babies
Pros and Cons of Cloning Pros Saving endangered species Transgenic animals for human consumption Organ and tissue transplants Cons Cloned animals have genetic defects Health problems Animals tend to die young.
III) Genetically Engineered Vaccines A) Vaccines that are produced using DNA technology are safer than the ones that are made from the pathogens B) DNA Vaccine is a vaccine made from the DNA of a pathogen but does not have disease-causing capabilities