genetic modification

• a vector is used as a carrier to transfer the isolated gene into the host cell
• genetic engineering is the process by which genes are transferred from one organism to another
• transgenic = the moving of a gene from one species to a different one
• bacteria can be genetically modified to make a protein - eg. Insulin
• plants and animals are modified to grow better + increase yield or crops can be given features to increase resistance
• in what way are plants and animals genetically modified?

  1 frost-resistance

  2 pesticides creation
• how do you genetically modify organisms?

  1: identify the desirable gene and cut it out of the DNA using restriction enzymes

  2: cut open the target DNA where you want to insert the gene, also using restriction enzymes = if modifying, this will be a plasmid

  3: ligase enzymes are used to join the sections of DNA = DNA is cut to give sticky ends which can join sections of bases that can join the next part via the complimentary base pairing

  4: the 'mixed DNA' of old and new DNA is described as recombinant DNA
• if we are modifying bacteria's, the recombinant plasmid is inserted into the bacteria + it will begin transcribing and translating the DNA to make the protein the genes code for - eg. Insulin
• to make transgenic organisms, a recombinant DNA is often inserted into a zygote using a vector
• how genetic modification works: eg. Insulin

  1. DNA is removed from human cell and restriction enzymes cut out insulin gene from DNA
  2. a restriction enzyme cuts open a bacterial plasmid
  3. ligase enzyme joins gene to cut ends of plasmid
  4. plasmid with human gene is reinserted back into bacterium
  5. bacterium grows quickly = each bacterium cell produces insulin
  6. bacterium produces large quantities of human insulin
• how could a growth hormone be destroyed in the stomach?

  • stomach has ph level 7
  • lots of protease enzymes
  • protease breaks down growth hormone
  • has HCl acid
• a vector is either a virus or a plasmid