1. DNA Technology

2. DNA electrophoresis
We can use electricity to determine what kind of DNA sequence an individual has!

3. DNA electrophoresis DNA has a NEGATIVE charge
Using a solid gel (and electricity) we can separate the DNA strands based on their size
Negative end
Bigger pieces of DNA
Smaller pieces of DNA
Positive end

4. How is all this relevant?
Paternity tests!

5. Who done it?
DNA taken from crime scene
Suspect 1
Suspect 2
Suspect 3

6. Drill question: What is gene therapy?

7. Paternity tests DNA electrophoresis can be used to determine paternity

8. Cloning DNA Cloning means making an exact copy
Can you think of an organism that is a single cell and multiples really quickly?

9. Cloning DNA using bacteria
Bacteria have one circular chromosome
We can take advantage of this!
Plasmid DNA

10. Bacterial cell + your plasmid!
Plasmid DNA
Plasmid DNA + gene
Gene you are
interested in +
How might we cut open the plasmid to get the gene in?
Plasmid DNA + gene
Bacterial cell + your plasmid!
Bacterial cell +
What happens every time the bacterial cell divides
and replicates its own DNA?

11. So how has cloning been used?
Transgenic crops (Genetically modified organisms GMOs)
Plants that have foreign DNA (genes) introduced into them
Used to increase survival rates
Introducing foreign DNA into animals (GFP)
Used in research

12. Transgenic crops

14. GFP Critters!

15. Green Fluorescent Protein
Found in one species of jelly fish (Aequorea victoria)
GFP started to be used in biology in the 1990s
Nobel Prize in 2008!
Great website:

16. So what can we use GFP for?
“Tag” specific cells and/or specific proteins we are interested in looking at

19. Gene therapy Use genes to try to treat a disease
Protein function has somehow been changed
Gene therapy tries to fix that!
Still a very risky procedure!

20. What might be some problems?
Science
Ethics

21. Interesting Transgenic Animals!

22. Spider Goat Spider silk
Stronger than steel!
Really flexible
Goats have spider silk gene inserted into their DNA
Silk is harvested from the goat’s __________

23. Super Muscle Trout Fish have 20-25% more muscle growth
Gene inserted that makes a protein that inhibits another protein that SLOWS muscle growth

24. Marathon Mouse
Scientists were interested in why some people are able to run marathons and some people are not