Biotechnology

• Biotechnology


  The use of an organism to achieve a specific goal
• Biotechnology products


  • Growing mold for penicillin (a natural antibiotic)
  • Genetic engineering
• Central Dogma


  DNA → RNA → Proteins
• Genes


  Segments of DNA that code for a specific protein
• All cells within an organism have the same DNA, but not all genes are expressed, depending on the cell's function
• Vectors


  Viruses and bacteria have naturally occurring enzymes and proteins that can manipulate DNA
• Examples of biotechnology


  • DNA Fingerprinting
  • Genetically modified organisms
  • Gene Therapy
• Gel electrophoresis


  DNA is separated and pushed by an electrical field through an agarose gel
• The larger DNA molecules are not pushed as far as the smaller ones in gel electrophoresis
• DNA molecules are negatively charged (-) and can travel across a medium (gel) carried by electrical currents
• DNA marker


  Contains known sizes of DNA fragments in base pairs
• Gel electrophoresis


  • Can be used for DNA fingerprinting, mapping endangered species, analyzing PCR results, isolating and analyzing genes associated with illness
• Gel electrophoresis shows differences in DNA fragment sizes
• Genetic engineering


  The direct manipulating or changing of DNA within an organism to express a gene
• Genetically modified organism (GMO)


  An organism that has had its DNA modified to express a desirable trait
• Transgenic organism


  An organism that has had its DNA manipulated to express a foreign gene
• Commonly used GMOs


  • Corn, Cotton, Sugar beets, Soybeans
• Recombinant DNA technology


  The joining of DNA from two different species and inserting it into a host organism to produce new genetic combinations
• Recombinant DNA technology uses

  • Production of insulin for diabetics
  • Production of tPA (life saving protein that can dissolve blood clots)
• Plasmid transformation


  Using enzymes like restriction enzymes and DNA ligase to "cut and paste" DNA from one organism into another
• Bacteria can take up foreign DNA in a process known as transformation
• Plasmid transformation uses circular rings of DNA from bacteria known as plasmids
• The bacteria can replicate quickly and create many copies of DNA and therefore many copies of a protein
• Producing insulin using recombinant DNA technology

  1. Human pancreas cell DNA containing insulin gene is inserted into a bacterial plasmid using restriction enzymes and DNA ligase

  2. Recombinant bacteria produce insulin which can be harvested and prescribed to diabetics
• Plasmids used for recombinant DNA technology carry a gene for antibiotic resistance
• Selection


  To select for the bacteria that can successfully produce copies of the gene/protein, bacteria are grown on an antibiotic plate
• PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)


  A lab technique used to make lots of copies of DNA
• How does PCR relate to other biotechnology techniques?


  (Answers may vary)
• Recombinant DNA


  Produces insulin that can be harvested from bacteria and prescribed to diabetics
• Insulin


  • Can be produced in mass quantities to treat diabetes
• Insulin


  A protein produced in the pancreas that regulates blood sugar
• Plasmids used for recombinant DNA technology


  • Carry a gene for antibiotic resistance
  • Not all bacteria can be used for plasmid transformation
• Plasmid transformation selection

  1. Bacteria are grown on an antibiotic plate

  2. The ones that survive have the recombinant plasmid

  3. Further testing is required to make sure the foreign DNA was successfully integrated into the plasmid
• PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)


  Lab technique used to make lots of copies of DNA
• PCR


  1. Denaturation - solution is heated to make DNA single stranded

  2. Annealing - solution is cooled allowing DNA primers to bind to specific regions

  3. Extension - DNA Polymerase binds and synthesizes new DNA strands
• Applications of PCR


  • To amplify copies of DNA found at a crime scene
  • To make copies of DNA during amniocentesis
  • To amplify copies for the sensitive detection of pathogens (Covid PCR test)
• The more copies of a particular DNA segment you have, the more accurate detection (or test results) will be
• Genome


  All the genes found in an organism
• Reasons to understand the human genome

  • We can target which genes, or their mutations, are associated with certain genetic diseases
  • Improved diagnosis of genetic diseases
  • Earlier detection of genetic predispositions to disease
  • We can predict how individuals might respond to certain medicinal drugs
  • Gene therapy
• The Human Genome Project was an international research project initiated in 1990 to map nearly the entire human genome