Download What is Genetic Engineering?

What is Genetic Engineering?
In genetic engineering, they take the gene from an
animal, plant, bacteria, or virus, and implant that with
a "gene gun" in a natural strand of soy DNA for
example. It is like genetic surgery. For instance, the
genetically engineered soybean that is on the market
has a foreign gene from a bacterium, another foreign
gene from a virus; and other foreign genes which are
inserted. When they shoot a foreign gene into the
DNA, they can’t predict where it is going to land. 1)
The foreign gene may be implanted between two
other genes and it doesn't interfere with the
functioning of the gene. 2) When the foreign gene is
implanted, it may break up a gene that is already
present, and there is no way of predicting the side
effects.
What is Genetic Engineering used
for?
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Genetic engineering is the use of science to recombine DNA in different ways to
benefit organisms. They are used in many different ways:
Agriculture
Medicine
Environment
In medicine, they isolate a virus or a gene coded into DNA and cut it out. In the
case of producing a vaccine for a virus, they isolate and cut the gene out for the
virus and inject it into a carrier cell, usually in bacteria, and allow the organism to
code the virus into it's DNA and make an artificial virus. This is later cut out and
used to create a vaccine, since bacteria reproduce rapidly this is an easy way of
reproducing the virus and creating an antibody to create the virus so there will be
enough of it.
In the case of genes, they cut the gene of interest out and follow the same steps in
order to create an artificial product.
Example: Human insulin gene, cut out, put in bacteria DNA, isolated, reproduced,
cut out again, used for artificial insulin for diabetics.
In environment, the organisms in the environment are artificially changed to benefit
their surroundings to help maintain the area. Mainly in microorganisms.
In agriculture, plant life is changed to be more resilient to insect and disease as well
as have the help of the microorganisms helping support it and bringing it protein.
How Genetic Engineering is works?
Genetic engineering has three basic parts. First, the
DNA is cut in the desired place using restriction
enzymes. Each different type of restriction enzyme
"seeks out" and cuts DNA at a spot marked by a
different sequence of base pairs. One restriction
enzyme may cut the DNA at every "AATC", for
example, while another cuts all "ATG"
sequences. The DNA is cut in such a way that one
helix is a bit longer than the other because of a few
extra base pairs. These extra base pairs are called the
"sticky end", because they will bond easily to another
strand of DNA with the corresponding set of
genes. The new genes that will be injected have
sticky ends that complement the sticky ends the
restriction enzyme leaves.