Genetic Engineering

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 Genetic engineering: Changing the DNA in
living organisms to create something new.

 This organisms are called Genetically Modified

Organism (GMO)

 Example:
 Bacteria that produce human insulin
 Genetically Modified organism are called
transgenic organism; since genes are
transferred from one organism to another.
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Some genetic engineering techniques
are as follows:
1. Artificial selection
A. selective breeding
B. hybridization
C. inbreeding

2. Cloning
3. Gene splicing
4. Gel electrophoresis: analyzing DNA
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 A. Selective breeding: when animals with
desired characteristics are mated to
produce offspring with those desired
traits.
 Passing of important genes to next
generation.
 Example: Champion race horses, cows
with tender meat, large juicy oranges
on a tree.

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 For example people breed dogs for specific
purposes.
 Dachshund were once bred to hunt badgers
and other burrowing animals.
 They must be small to fit into the animals hole
in the ground.

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 Examples of
selective breeding:

 Angus cows are bred to

increase muscle mass
so that we get more
meat,

 Egg-Laying Hen-
produces more eggs
than the average hen
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 B. Hybridizations: two individuals with unlike
characteristics are crossed to produce the best in
both organisms.
 Example: Luther Burbank created a disease
resistant potato called the Burbank potato.
 He crossed a disease resistant plant with one that
had a large food producing capacity.
 Result: disease resistant plant that makes a lot of
potatoes.

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 Other Examples of hybridization:
1. Liger: lion and tiger mix

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 C. Inbreeding breeding of organism that
genetically similar to maintain desired traits.
 Dogs breeds are kept pure this way.
 Its how a Doberman remains a Doberman.
 It keeps each breed unique from others.
 Risk: since both have the same genes, the
chance that a baby will get a recessive
genetic disorder is high.
 Risks: blindness, joint deformities.

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 Genetic Engineering
Biotechnology

Regents Biology 2006-2007

 We have been manipulating DNA
for generations!
 Artificial breeding
 creating new breeds of animals & new
crop plants to improve our food

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 Animal breeding

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 Breeding food plants
 “Descendants” of the wild mustard
 the “Cabbage family”

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 Breeding food plants

Evolution of modern corn (right) from

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ancestral teosinte (left).
 A Brave New World

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 Other Reasons to Genetically Modify Crops

 Insect resistant
 Herbicide resistant
 Drought/freeze resistant
 Disease resistant
 Higher yield
 Faster growth
 Improved nutrition
 Longer shelf life

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 What is the difference between
the mice in these two groups?

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TACGCACATTTACGTACGCGGATGCCGCGACTATGATC
human genome
ACATAGACATGCTGTCAGCTCTAGTAGACTAGCTGACT
CGACTAGCATGATCGATCAGCTACATGCTAGCACACYC
3.2 billion
GTACATCGATCCTGACATCGACCTGCTCGTACATGCTA
bases
CTAGCTACTGACTCATGATCCAGATCACTGAAACCCTA
GATCGGGTACCTATTACAGTACGATCATCCGATCAGAT
CATGCTAGTACATCGATCGATACTGCTACTGATCTAGC
TCAATCAAACTCTTTTTGCATCATGATACTAGACTAGC
TGACTGATCATGACTCTGATCCCGTAGATCGGGTACCT
ATTACAGTACGATCATCCGATCAGATCATGCTAGTACA
TCGATCGATACTGCTACTGATCTAGCTCAATCAAACTC
TTTTTGCATCATGATACTAGACTAGCTGACTGATCATG
ACTCTGATCCCGTAGATCGGGTACCTATTACAGTACGA
TCATCCGATCAGATCATGCTAGTACATCGATCGATACT
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 Can we mix genes from one creature
to another? Why?

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 Mixing genes for medicine…
 Allowing organisms to produce new
proteins
 bacteria producing human insulin
 bacteria producing human growth hormone

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 How do we do mix genes?
 Genetic engineering
 find gene
 cut DNA in both organisms

 paste gene from one creature into other

creature’s DNA
 insert new chromosome into organism

 organism copies new gene as if it were its

own
 organism reads gene as if it were its own

 organism produces NEW protein:

Remember: we all use the same genetic code!

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 Uses of genetic engineering
 Genetically modified organisms (GMO)
 enabling plants to produce new proteins
 Protect crops from insects: BT corn
 corn produces a bacterial toxin that kills corn
borer (caterpillar pest of corn)
 Extend growing season: fishberries
 strawberries with an anti-freezing gene from
flounder
 Improve quality of food: golden rice
 rice producing vitamin A
improves nutritional value

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 Bacteria
 Bacteria are great!
 one-celled organisms
 reproduce by mitosis

 easy to grow, fast to grow

 generation every ~20 minutes

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 Bacterial DNA
 Single circular chromosome
 only one copy = haploid
 no nucleus

 Other DNA = plasmids!

bacteria
chromosome

plasmids
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 There’s more…
 Plasmids
 small extra circles of DNA
 carry extra genes that bacteria can use

 can be swapped between bacteria

 bacterial sex!!
 rapid evolution = antibiotic resistance
 can be picked up
from environment

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 Grow bacteria…make more transformed
gene from bacteria
recombinant
other organism
plasmid

+ vector
plasmid

grow
bacteria

harvest (purify)
protein

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