DNA ManipulationDiabetesGenetic Engineering

– Animals– Drugs

Bacteria PlasmidBiopharmingTransgenic OrganismsKnockout MiceCloning

DNA Manipulation

Genetic Engineering

Cloning

Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a disease caused by the inability to properly use insulin, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels

Many people require insulin injections to survive

Insulin allows glucose to be transferred from the blood into cell

Approximately 5% of all deaths are caused by diabetes.

Insulin

Diabetes

Due to the need, actual human insulin is now mass-produced

They insert the human insulin gene into bacteria, and the bacteria makes human insulin.

This is genetic engineering, the intentional alteration of a genome by substituting or introducing new genetic material

The human gene that codes for insulin is inserted into an E. coli plasmid (small circular pieces of DNA).

The E. coli (bacteria) transcribes and translates the piece of human DNA to make the human protein insulin, which is then harvested from the bacteria and put into a container to be used.

Safflowers are also used to produce human insulin.

The first step in genetic recombination is to isolate, or cut out, a DNA fragment that contains the desired gene.

You must also cut the circular plasmid (from the bacteria) to make it linear

Scientists use restriction enzymes which acts like molecular scissors, cutting a DNA molecule at specific locations.

You then insert your DNA segment into a bacterial plasmid using DNA ligase

Let the bacteria plasmid replicate and mass produce your protein– These plasmids are used

for transferring foreign genetic material into a cell are called vectors

The successful introduction of DNA from another source is called transformation.

The cell that has received the DNA is said to be transformed.

The bacteria is said to contain recombinant DNA which is a DNA strand that is created using pieces of DNA from two or more sources

Biopharming

Genetic engineering uses DNA technology to modify the genes of a cell or an organism.

Molecular biologists can introduce new functions into an organism.

Today, scientists use genetic engineering to find cures for various diseases that affect animals and plants.

Perhaps most useful is the introduction of one or more genes from one organism into another.

This could cause the host organism to produce a certain protein, such as insulin or clotting factors which is useful to us. E.g. Allow us to become resistant to certain diseases, grow human organs, grow faster, etc.

When such pharmaceutical products are produced on a large scale, the process is called biopharming.

Genetically Engineered Animals

Drugs from Genetically

Engineered Animals

Transgenic Organisms: Altered DNA

An organism that has been changed by scientists to contain one or more genes from another organism is known as a transgenic organism or a genetically modified organism (GMO).

Why Use Transgenic Plants and Animals?

Cost - animal and plant based methods are usually more economical (cheaper) than operating a laboratory with controlled bacterial populations.

Size - larger organisms can produce more stuff

Transgenic Plants Genetically modified (GM) canola and other field crops

have been engineered to be resistant to specific herbicides. – This technology means that herbicides can be sprayed

to kill weeds but the crop plant remains healthy. Farmers spend about 40% less on herbicides for GM

canola crops, versus conventional canola crops, and they report up to a 10% increase in yield.

How are GMOs created?

5 Myths about GMOs

Knockout Mice

Knockout mice are produced by genetic engineering to have at least one gene completely turned off by a mutation.

They are used to study the purpose of each gene.– If a gene is turned off, you can more easily see what

it does.

Cloning Cloning is the process of making a genetically

identical organism. It has been used for many years to produce plants (even

growing a plant from a cutting is a type of cloning). The first cloned mammal (Dolly) was born in 1997 Since Dolly, several scientists have cloned other

animals, including cows and mice.

Cloning Animals

Why Clone? The main reason to clone plants or animals is to mass produce

organisms with desired qualities, such as prize-winning apples or a genetically engineered animal that produce more milk, beef, etc.

Other reasons for cloning might include replacing human organs (no rejection or need of another person because they are yours) repopulating endangered or extinct species and building a clone army.

IssuesDeciding exactly where to draw the line on

transgenic organisms and cloning is difficult.What is acceptable and what isn’t?Do the ends justify the means?