Biotechnology Genetic engineering – process of manipulating or changing an organism’s genetic make-up or DNA Usually done by using restriction enzymes to cut the DNA Creates genetically modified organisms (GMO) or a transgenic organism

Transgenic Organisms

Types of Genetic Engineering Recombinant DNA – process of taking a piece of DNA and combining it with another strand of DNA 3 types: Bacterial transformation, phage introduction, non-bacterial transformation Used to mass produce insulin Plasmid (vector) – small circular piece of DNA that contains growth information for a bacterial cell – Used to carry the foreign DNA into a cell or to mass produce the foreign DNA

Gene therapy – experimental technique that used genes to treat or prevent disease Still in experimental stage Possible diseases it could treat: cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, muscular dystrophy, sickle-cell anemia, Parkinson’s disease DNA fingerprinting – method of isolating and identifying variable elements within the base-pair sequence of DNA Uses gel electrophoresis and restriction enzymes Creates a unique pattern of bands Used for crime scene forensics, paternal disputes, and body identification

Paternity Testing

Cloning – describes several processes used to produce genetically identical copies of a biological entity Creates a “clone” Created naturally through asexual reproduction and identical twins 3 types: gene cloning (bacterial transformation), reproductive cloning (whole organism), and therapeutic cloning (embryonic stem cells) Not always identical due to environmental influences on the genotypes and phenotype outcomes