Genetically

Modified
Organism
What do you know about GMO?
Definition
Look at the meaning of each word independently…

Genetic: referring to genes or DNA

Modification: changing from an original
Organism: any living thing including animals, plants, bacteria, fungi….

Now add all of these definitions together:

Intentionally changing a living thing’s original genes or DNA.

Genetically •A genetically modified
Modified organism (GMO) is an
Organism animal, plant, or microbe
whose DNA has been
altered using genetic
engineering techniques.
Technically
• Since we have been choosing plants to domesticate we have been
creating GMOs!
• 10,000 year ago
• We choose the plants with desirable traits, (good DNA/Genes)
• Produces lots of fruit, survives drought, doesn’t get eaten by bugs…
• We plant those seed with those traits (others we don’t)
• Making breeds of plants!
• So any plant we choose to domesticate or grow for our own good, is
having their genes changed by us, it’s a GMO!
Before
domestication
• So many of our most common
foodstuffs look nothing like their
ancestors.

• Since humans have started

domesticating plants for wide
spread production we have
chosen the traits we want to see
in plants.
Sorting
• Non-GMO • GMO
• Simple selection
• Selective breeding
• Interspecies crosses
• Mutagenesis
What is the
difference?
GMO in the
future
• Altering the DNA within an
organism by changing the
organisms original genome.
• Deleting genes that are harmful
• Duplicating genes that induce
certain protein productions,
additional starch production in
corn
• Editing genes to change specific
sequences and change proteins
• So… GMO or Not?
 Why Grow GMO Crops?
• GMOs are created to achieve a desired trait, such as resistance to a pest or tolerance to drought conditions.
• GMO crops were created for:
• Insect resistance: to provide farmers with season-long protection against pests, reduce the need for pesticide
applications and lower input costs.
• Drought tolerance: to increase water retention and allow crops to better endure drought conditions without the need
for additional irrigation.
• Herbicide tolerance: to allow farmers to fight weeds by applying targeted herbicides only when needed and enable
them to use conservation tillage production methods that preserve topsoil, prevent erosion and reduce carbon
emissions.
• Disease resistance: to enable plants to resist certain diseases, such as the papaya ringspot virus (PRSV). For
example, the GM Rainbow Papaya (developed to resist PRSV) allowed Hawaiian papaya farmers to recover when
the devastating disease crippled their industry.
• Enhanced nutritional content: to create food – such as soybeans – with an enhanced oil profile to make them
longer-lasting and trans-fat free.
• Reduced food waste: to eliminate superficial browning and bruising when products are cut or handled – in potatoes,
for example – to reduce the amount of produce thrown away by producers, processors, retailers, and consumers.
• Improved manufacturing processes: to enable more efficient biofuel production – in certain corn varieties, for
example – by improving the process by which cellulose and/or starch is broken down and converted to fuel. This
helps to reduce the environmental impact by decreasing the amount of water, electricity and natural gas needed to
produce biofuel.
Why are genetically modified organism
important?
• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) provide certain
advantages to producers and consumers. Modified plants, for
example, can at least initially help protect crops by providing
resistance to a specific disease or insect, ensuring greater food
production. GMOs are also important sources of medicine.
How are GMO’s made?

“GMO” (genetically modified organism) has become the common term consumers and popular media use to describe
foods that have been created through genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is a process that involves:

Identifying the genetic information—or “gene”—that gives an organism (plant, animal, or microorganism) a desired
trait

Copying that information from the organism that has the trait

Inserting that information into the DNA of another organism

Then growing the new organism

Making a GMO Plant, Step by Step

• The following example gives a general idea of the steps it takes

to create a GMO plant. This example uses a type of
insect-resistant corn called “Bt corn.” Keep in mind that the
processes for creating a GMO plant, animal, or microorganism
may be different.
Identify
To produce a GMO plant, scientists first identify what trait they
want that plant to have, such as resistance to drought, herbicides,
or insects. Then, they find an organism (plant, animal, or
microorganism) that already has that trait within its genes. In this
example, scientists wanted to create insect-resistant corn to
reduce the need to spray pesticides. They identified a gene in a
soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which produces
a natural insecticide that has been in use for many years in
traditional and organic agriculture.
Copy
• After scientists find the gene with the desired trait, they copy
that gene.
• For Bt corn, they copied the gene in Bt that would provide the
insect-resistance trait.
Insert
• Next, scientists use tools to insert the gene into the DNA of the
plant. By inserting the Bt gene into the DNA of the corn plant,
scientists gave it the insect resistance trait.
• This new trait does not change the other existing traits.
Grow

• In the laboratory, scientists grow the new corn plant to ensure it

has adopted the desired trait (insect resistance). If successful,
scientists first grow and monitor the new corn plant (now called
Bt corn because it contains a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis)
in greenhouses and then in small field tests before moving it
into larger field tests. GMO plants go through in-depth review
and tests before they are ready to be sold to farmers.
 - GE can help produce more food and/or enhance
quality to feed growing world population
- Reduces: yield loss, crop damage from weeds,
Benefits of GE diseases and insects, drought
foods
- More recent crops/under development:
improved nutrition, taste, quality, shelf life