4.6.2.4 genetic engineering

• What is genetic engineering?

  a process which involves modifying the genome of an organism by introducing a gene from another organism to give a desired characteristic
• What have plant crops been genetically engineered to be?

  resistant to diseases or to produce bigger better fruits
• What have bacterial cells been genetically engineered to produce?

  useful substances such as human insulin to treat diabetes
• What are the advantages to genetic engineering?

  • Increased crop yield - more food
  • GM crops can be engineered in developing countries that have people who lack nutrients in their diet
• What are the disadvantages to genetic engineering?

  • Growing GM crops will reduce wild flower and reduce insect numbers
  • Long term safety on human health hasn’t been investigated
  • Genes may get out into the environment and cause development of other organisms - eg superweeds
• What happens in genetic engineering?

  genes from the chromosomes of humans and other organisms can be ‘cut out’ and transferred to cells of other organisms
• What are the steps in the process of genetic engineering?

  1. enzymes are used to isolate the required gene; this gene is inserted into a vector, usually a bacterial plasmid or a virus
  2. the vector is used to insert the gene into the required cells
  3. genes are transferred to the cells of animals, plants or microorganisms at an early stage in their development so that they develop with desired characteristics