Genetic Engineering

• What is genetic engineering?

  • Modifying an organism's genome by introducing a gene from another organism to produce a desired characteristic
  • Plant cells can be engineered to have bigger fruit or disease resistant
  • Bacteria cells have been engineered to produce substances useful to humans such as insulin for diabetes
• Describe the process of genetic engineering?

  • Genes from chromosomes are cut out using restrictive enzymes leaving exposed ends
  • A virus/bacteria plasmid containing an antibiotic marker gene is cut using the same process.
  • The loop and gene are combined by DNA ligase enzymes and placed into a vector like a bacteria cell to multiply
• What is the purpose of genetically engineered crops/medicine?

  • Disease and herbicide resistant
  • Increases yield as less crops die
  • Medicine: Used as gene therapy to help treat genetic diseases by replacing faulty genes
• Advantages of genetic engineering?

  • Increases yield which could help solve world hunger
  • Can produce crops with extra vitamins where they are hard to obtain
  • Can help in agriculture by making plants that can develop their own pesticide or allow them to grow in different conditions
• Disadvantages of genetic engineering?

  • Genetically modified crops might damage ecosystems in the wild by out-competing other plants.. They are also infertile and could spread these genes to other plants.
  • We don't fully understand the effects of genetically engineered crops on human health
  • Could lead to genetic modification in humans creating designer babies
• What is cloning?

  • Creating genetically identical copies of an organism
• What are the two types of methods for plant cloning?

  Cutting and tissue culture
• What is the importance of the tissue culture method?

  • To preserve rear plant species or commercially in nurseries
• What is the process of the tissue culture method?

  • Take plant cells
  • Put them in growth medium
  • They grow into new plants and are clones as they are genetically identical to parent plant
• What is the process of the cuttings method

  • Easier and older method
  • Cut a section of the plant with desired features such as the stem
  • Plant it and it produces clones genetically identical to parent
• What are the 2 processes of cloning in animals?

  • Embryo transplants
  • Adult cell cloning
• What is the process of embryo transplants?

  • Sperm and egg with desirable features obtained and fertilised to form embryo in lab
  • Embryo divides many times and is inserted into host mother
  • Offspring that is born is genetically identical with desirable features to parents
• What is the process of adult cell cloning?

  • Nucleus removed from unfertilised egg cell
  • Adult body cell is then placed into this
  • Cell is stimulated through electric shock and begins to divide to form embryo
  • Embryo is implanted into woman and offspring is a clone of the adult body cell
• Advantages of cloning?

  • Produces clones with desirable features
  • Study of clones could help research into embryo development
  • Can help endangered species or bring back extinct species
• Disadvantages of cloning?

  • Reduces gene pool making population less likely to survive if a disease arrives
  • Clones have low survival rate and genetic problems
  • May lead to human cloning