Genetic Technology

Applied Genetics Breeding selective – selecting plants / animals with certain desired traits & breeding to pass those traits on (increases frequency of desired alleles) inbreeding – creates homozygous offspring (eliminates some undesired traits, but makes some more common) hybrids – bigger & better (plants) test crosses – “unknown” X “known” (used to determine the genotype of an organism)

Recombinant DNA Technology Genetic Engineering involves cutting DNA from one organism and inserting into the DNA of another (creates recombinant DNA) transgenic organisms – contain functional recombinant DNA from an organism of a different genus 3 step process

Attach DNA fragment to a carrier Isolate foreign DNA uses restrictive enzymes – bacterial proteins that can cut DNA strands into specific nucleotide sequences Attach DNA fragment to a carrier uses vectors mechanical – micropipette, gene gun biological – virus, plasmid (bacterial DNA) Transfer into host organism

Applications Industry Medicine Animals Agriculture dyes, cheese, laundry detergents, etc. Medicine human growth hormone, insulin, hormones, vaccines, enzymes, etc. Animals used to study disease (mice, worms, fruit flies) Agriculture better crops (taste, freshness, disease free, more vitamins, etc.)

Gel Electrophoresis A method used to determine exactly what DNA fragments have been formed by restriction enzyme cutting fragments placed in “wells” formed in gel electric field is applied forming +/- ends DNA fragments separate based on size and charge (smallest moves farthest away from wells)

The Human Genome Project Published in 2001 – map of the 3 billion base pairs / 35, 000 – 40,000 genes on the 46 human chromosomes

Linkage Maps genetic map that shows the locus (relative location) of genes on a chromosome

Applications diagnosis of genetic disorders gene therapy insertion of normal genes into human cells to correct genetic disorders DNA fingerprinting