Download Genetic Technology - Solon City Schools

Biotechnology
Biotechnology is the use of
biological processes, organisms,
or systems to manufacture
products intended to improve the
quality of human life.
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4 Areas of Biotechnology
Agriculture
Industry
Forensics
Medicine
Genetic Engineering- (A.K.A.
Recombinant DNA Technology)
•  frequency of an allele in a
population
• *involves cutting (cleaving)
DNA from one organism into
small fragments & inserting the
fragments into a host organism
of the same or a different
species
• AMAZING!!! Organism will use the
foreign DNA as if it were its own!!
• Transgenic Organism- organisms that
contain functional recombinant DNA
(rDNA) from a different organism
How is a transgenic organism
formed??
• Isolate foreign DNA fragment
• Attach DNA fragment to a “vehicle”
(vector)
• Transfer “vehicle” (vector) into a host
organism
Forming transgenic organisms and therefore
clones of genes
Isolating foreign DNA fragments
• -Restriction Enzymes- DNA cutting
enzymes that can cut both strands of a
DNA molecule at a specific base pair
sequence (A-T, C-G)
• -similar to cutting a zipper into pieces
• -must find the same sequence of base
pairs on both DNA strands but they
must run in opposite directions
• (like a palindrome-words that read the
same forwards and backwards)
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ex. Racecar, mom, dad, etc.
Action of Restriction Enzymes
Isolating DNA fragments
• -when the DNA is cut, double-stranded
fragments with single-stranded ends are
formed (called “sticky ends”)
• -2 matching sticky ends join together
Sticky ends
Vectors transfer DNA
• Vector-means by which DNA from
another species can be carried into
the host cell
• Mechanical Vectors
• Micropipette-inserts into a cell
• Gene guns- tiny metal bullet is coated
with DNA and shot into the cell with a
gene gun
More types of Vectors
• Biological Vectors
• Viruses
• Plasmids-small ring of DNA found in bacteria
cells that is separate from the bacteria’s
normal set of DNA
• Plasmid usually contains genes that may cause
the bacteria to be resistant to certain antibiotics
Gene Splicing/Cloning using a
bacterial plasmid
• After the foreign DNA has been spliced (glued)
into the plasmid using an enzyme DNA ligase,
the rDNA is transferred into a bacterial cell
• -IMPORTANT plasmid replicates separately
from the bacterial chromosome & can produce
up to 500 copies per bacterial cell
• -bacteria reproduce quickly (20 min) so a lot of
rDNA is made very fast
• Clone- genetically identical copies of rDNA
molecules
• -Host cell produces the protein coded for by
the rDNA
Applications of DNA technology
• rDNA in Industry
• 1. genetically engineered bacteria can
degrade oil faster than naturally
occurring bacteria (clean oil spills)
• 2. remove sulfur from coal before it is
burned
• 3. produce phenylalanine to produce
aspartame (main ingredient in
Nutrasweet)
• rDNA in industry
• 4. biofilters to degrade chemicals that
might escape into the air from factories
• 5. transgenic animals- animal eggs can
take up the gene for bovine growth
hormone (BGH)-used to make larger
fish, cows, pigs, rabbits, sheep
rDNA in Medicine
• 1. Human growth hormone to treat
dwarfism
• 2. Human gene for insulin is inserted into
a bacterial plasmid and the rDNA
bacteria can make mass amounts of
insulin very quickly to help diabetes
patients
rDNA in Medicine
• 3. Gene pharming- use of transgenic
farm animals to produce
pharmaceuticals
ex. Genes that code for therapeutic
proteins are incorporated into the
animal’s DNA & the proteins appear in
the animal’s milk
Transgenic Animals
Cloning a gene
rDNA in Medicine
• -drugs are made for the treatment
of cystic fibrosis, cancer, blood
diseases by this technique
• ex. Antithrombin III, used to
prevent blood clots during surgery
is currently made by a herd of
goats
Cloning an animal
rDNA in Agriculture
• 1. bacteria that normally live on
strawberry plants cause frost damage
to leaves/fruits b/c ice crystals form
around a protein on the surface of each
bacteria. Now the bacteria have been
engineered to remove the gene for this
protein & after rDNA is inserted the
bacteria change from frost + to frost –
GMO’s-genetically modified
organism
• Grapples- cross
b/w apple
and grape
-Pluots- cross b/w plum
& apricot
rDNA in Agriculture
• 2. bacteria that live on the roots of corn
plants have been given the gene that
produces insect toxin. The toxin
protects the roots from insects.
• 3. Possibly engineer bacteria that live in
soil to make more nitrogen (natural
fertilizer) so farmers can cut back costs
on fertilizers.
Plants have been genetically
modified to produce insect toxin
Gene Therapy
• Gene therapy attempts to treat genetic diseases
at the molecular level by correcting what is
wrong with defective genes.
• Clinical research into gene therapy’s safety and
effectiveness has just begun.
• No one knows if gene therapy will work, or for
what diseases. If gene therapy is successful,
it could work by preventing a protein from
doing something that causes harm, restoring
the normal function of a protein, giving
proteins new functions, or enhancing the
existing functions of proteins
Gene Therapy
• In vivo gene therapy requires that the
gene transfer vector be delivered by direct
tissue injection.
• 2) Ex-vivo gene therapy involves
removing tissue from the patient,
transfecting (or virally-infecting) the cells in
culture, and then reimplanting the
genetically altered cells to the patient.
Ex vivo gene therapy
In Vivo Gene Therapy