Genetic Engineering & Cloning

Genetic Engineering: (or Genetic Modification) the process of changing the genetic makeup of an organism by manually add or removing parts of it’s DNA. It produces an organism that has a new trait it would most likely not have developed on its own Copy this!

Genetic Engineering of insect- resistant corn #1 Identify desired gene #2 Use enzymes to cut desired gene loose #3 Remove undesired gene #4 Insert desired gene into corn

Let’s consider some examples… Copy this! Ex1: Potato + Bacteria DNA = Beetle Resistant Potatoes In 1995, Monsanto completed U.S. regulatory authorizations for NewLeaf™ potato, a Russet Burbank potato improved using biotechnology to provide protection from the Colorado potato beetle. Canadian authorization was completed in The NewLeaf™ potato used naturally-occurring bacteria found in the soil known as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to provide in-plant protection from the yield-robbing Colorado potato beetle.

Let’s consider some examples… Ex 2: Chickens with NO feathers Copy this! Scientists engineered chickens to be featherless by REMOVING the gene in chicken DNA that causes them to grow feathers

Let’s consider some examples… Copy this! Placing the “anti-freeze gene” from a fish in tomatoes so the tomatoes can still grow in cold weather. Ex 3: Tomatoes that make antifreeze so they can grow in the cold.

Pro’s Con’s improve organisms Can create organisms with traits not previously thought possible Can remove “bad” genes Reduces the chance of getting “undesirable” organisms Costly Must be performed in a lab with special equipment Moral & Ethical issues Long term negative affects Negative environmental impacts Superweeds Interbreed with natural organisms Unknowns?????

Cloning

Cloning: The process of creating a genetically identical copy of an organism by asexual reproduction. Can be natural or artificial Copy this!

Natural Cloning… some plants and single-celled organisms, such as bacteria, produce genetically identical offspring through a process called asexual reproduction Copy this! Ex. 1: asexual reproduction in bacteria

Natural Cloning… Copy this! Ex. 2: Identical Twins Identical twins are the result of a single fertilized egg splitting into two separate embryos. Since identical twins come from the same fertilized egg, they have the exact same DNA. They are always of the same sex and they have the same blood type.

Process that involves removing the DNA from one organism and putting it into an empty egg of another organism and then implanting it into a third organism. The clone will be identical to the first organism that donated the DNA Artificial Cloning Copy this!

Artificial Cloning

On July 5, 1996, Dolly (a female domestic sheep) became the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer. Artificial Cloning Copy this!

Organ replacement Reproduce only the best plants and animals Genetic research Ensure certain traits Decreases genetic diversity Moral & Ethical issues Cost Many unknowns