Genetic Engineering
What is genetic engineering???
Genetic engineering: is the artificial manipulation or alteration of genes.
Genetic Engineering involves:
Some important terms!!!
Recombinant DNA: the altered DNA is called recombinant DNA ( recombines after small section of DNA inserted into it).
Genetically Modified Organism (GMO): is the organism with the altered DNA.
Genetic Engineering breaks the species barrier!!!
Genetic engineering breaks the species barrier!!!
- a human gene inserted into a bacterium
- a human gene inserted into another animal
- a bacterial gene placed in a plant
Alternative names for genetic engineering:
Tools used in genetic engineering!!!
Tools Used in Genetic Engineering
Restriction Enzymes:
- are special enzymes used to cut the DNA at specific places.
- different enzymes cut DNA at specific base sequences known as a recognition site. For example
i) One restriction enzyme will always cut DNA at
the base sequence: GAATTC.
ii) Another restriction enzyme only cuts at the
sequence: GATC.
- If DNA from two different organisms is cut with the same restriction enzyme the cut ends from both sources will be complementary and can easily stick together.
Restriction enzymes
DNA 1
DNA 2
Tools used in Genetic Engineering
DNA Ligase: enzyme which acts like a glue sticking foreign DNA to DNA of the cloning vector.
Process of Genetic Engineering
Five steps involved in this process:
Note: The following example will explain how a human gene is inserted into a bacterium so that the bacterium can produce human insulin.
Process of Genetic Engineering
Process of Genetic Engineering
Insertion:
Applications of Genetic Engineering
You must know three applications: one involving a plant, one animal and one for a micro-organism.
Plants: Weed killer-resistant crops
Applications of Genetic Engineering
Animals:
There is a growing trend to experiment with inserting human genes into the DNA of other mammals. The transgenic animals formed in this way will then produce a human protein and secrete it into their milk or even into their eggs.
Applications of Genetic Engineering
Animals: Sheep produce human clotting factor
Pharming: is the production of pharmaceuticals by genetically modified animals i.e. sheep, cows, goats etc.
Pharming – using animals to make pharmaceuticals
Applications of Genetic Engineering
Micro-organisms: Bacteria make insulin
Ethical Issues in genetic engineering
The release of GMO’s into the environment:
Ethical Issues in Genetic Engineering
GMO’s as a food source:
Outlined below are some fears associated with the use of GMO’s as a food source:
– eating an animal containing a human gene is a form of cannibalism.
- feeding GMO’s containing human genes to animals that would later be eaten by humans.
Ethical Issues in Genetic Engineering
Animal Welfare:
Ethical Issues in Genetic Engineering
Genetic Engineering in Humans:
The following issues are a cause for concern: