Genetic engineering

• Genetic engineering is the process of manipulating the genetic material of an organism to alter its characteristics or traits
• Organisms that undergo genetic engineering are called Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)
• Transgenic organisms are genetically modified organisms where genes are transferred from one organism to another
• Artificial selection involves selective breeding, hybridization, and inbreeding
• Cloning is a mode of genetic engineering that produces genetically identical organisms
• Recombinant DNA Technology (Gene Splicing) is another mode of genetic engineering
• Selective breeding is when organisms with desired characteristics are mated to produce offspring with those desired traits
• Hybridization involves crossing two individuals with unlike characteristics to produce the best traits in both organisms
• Inbreeding is the breeding of genetically similar organisms to maintain desired traits
• Gene Cloning is the production of large numbers of identical recombinant DNA molecules
• Cloning Vector is the DNA molecule that can carry foreign DNA into a host cell and be replicated there
• Restriction enzymes protect bacterial cells by cutting up foreign DNA from other organisms or phages
• Common restriction enzymes used in recombinant DNA technology studies include EcoRI, EcoRII, BamHI, and HindIII
• Gel Electrophoresis separates DNA fragments by size
• Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) makes copies of specific regions of sequenced DNA
• PCR process involves DNA sample, thermal cycler, PCR tube, primers, nucleotides, Taq polymerase, and mix buffer
• DNA Sequencing is used to identify the DNA sequence of cloned recombinant DNA molecules for further study
• DNA Sequencing helps identify errors in DNA sequences, predict gene function, and compare sequences from different organisms