DNA Technology: Genetic Engineering

1. DNA Technology 2
Genetic
Engineering
ppt. by Robin D. Seamon

2. • All living things use the same 4 nucleotide
bases of DNA (A-T, C-G) & ribosomes
• THEREFORE, DNA from different organisms can
be joined or ‘spliced’ together… GENETIC
ENGINEERING
2

3. G E N E T I C E N G I N E E R I N G
• Recombinant DNA technology
• Gene manipulation
1. genes are engineered by scientists into
organisms such as microbes or bacteria, for
mass-production
2. insertion of select genes into organisms to
improve their genotype
3

4. Genetic Engineering
manipulating the DNA
• Quick version of selective breeding
• Splice the gene into the DNA
DNA 1 DNA 2 Recombinant DNA

5. Recombinant DNA
• Combine DNA from different sources
• Identify a particular gene
• Cut out the gene with restriction enzymes
• Insert the gene into the DNA of another
organism
• Example
• E.coli produces insulin

6. GENE CLONING
Plasmid Foreign
DNA
(gene for
insulin)
Recombined
plasmid
Bacterial
chromosome
E. coli
Insulin

7. GENE CLONING
1. Isolate a gene
2. Make copies – PCR
3. Insert the gene in a plasmid
4. Study the gene

8. PCR
Polymerase Chain Reaction
• makes lots of copies of the DNA

10. GENE GUN
Alternative Method of Gene Insertion – Gene
Gun
10

11. MEDICINE: 1970’s we learned to put genes into
bacteria that would make human insulin; Insulin
separated from bacteria & given to diabetics
Desired human gene
(like insulin production)
11

12. Glowing plants
VIDEO: Kickstarter
Replaces lights with
Growing plants! (5:50) 12

13. 13
GMO’s & FOOD
Two major categories of GMO crops:
1. Crops to resist pests= turning plant into its
own pesticide
2. Crops resistant to herbicide, Roundup=
farmers spray crops with Roundup & all
plants/weeds are killed except the crop

14. G M C R O P S
Biofortified Rice “Golden Rice”
• Vitamin A deficiency causes 500,000 cases of
blindness and up to 2 million deaths each year
• in countries where rice is the staple diet
• Golden Rice was engineered so that the rice
plant produced Vitamin A
14

15. Scientists engineered a tomato that won’t
freeze by placing “anti-freeze” gene from a
fish into tomato genome
15

16. AGRICULTURE
16

17. European Corn Borer
Corn Borer- insect that kills
corn crops
U.S. + Canada: > $1 billion per
year, damage + control costs
Bt Corn
17

18. Bt – Bacillus thuringiensis – common soil borne
bacterium- produces crystals that kill insects when
eaten.
• Scientists insert Bt
genes into corn
genome
• Corn plant produces
Bt in every cell
KnockOut (Novartis)
YieldGard (Monsanto)
BT-Xtra (DeKalb)
StarLink (Aventis) 18

19. U.S. – Leading the
Way in GM Crops
VIDEO: How are GMO’s created?
(5:30) 19

20. How are GMO’s tested & approved?
EPA- (Environmental Protection Agency) evaluates
environmental safety
USDA- (US Department of Agriculture) evaluates
whether plant is safe to grow
FDA- (Food & Drug Administration) evaluates
whether the plant is safe to eat
20

21. How are GMO’s tested & approved?
1. Scientists have to perform studies on the new
product & determine it safe
2. Scientists present the data to the EPA, USDA,
FDA
3. EPA, USDA, FDA approves product
VIDEO: Eyes of Nye GM
foods (8 min) 21
QUESTIONS: Who are the scientists?
Is their data transparent to the public?
TRUTH:

22. 22

23. What’s the Debate?
VIDEO: “What’s the Deal with Genetically Modified Food? (3min)
AgBioTech
Aventis (Hoechst + Rhone Poulenc)
Monsanto (Monsanto + Pharmacia+ Upjohn)
Dupont (Dupont + Pioneer Hybrid)
Syngenta (Novartis + AstraZeneca)
Bayer
Dow Chemical (Dow + Elanco)
5 Firms – each Multinational:
68% of agrochemical market
worldwide
20% of commercial seed worldwide
23
ANSWERS: The
scientists supplying
the safety data are
hired by these
companies.
The data is NOT
transparent to the
public.
TRUTH:

24. GM Pesticide resistant crops:
genetically alter plant to contain a pesticide toxin that will
prevent pests
(+) More crops & less
damage
(+) More money for NC
business & economy
(+) No current health
concern (passed by the
FDA)
(+) No current
environmental concern
(passed by the EPA)
(-) possible creation of
pesticide resistant insects &
pathogens
(-) uncertain long-term effects
of natural ecosystems
(-) uncertain long-term effects
on human body
(-) kills other beneficial insects
including Monarch butterfly
(-) labelling?
(-) who’s doing the research?
VIDEO: GM Food- The Truth: GMO myths & Truths
(5:45)
VIDEO: What is a Genetically Mod Food?
(3:15)
24

25. GM Crops- Other Issues
• Threat to small farmers
• Some say that GM technology benefits big
business not the poor
• Cross-pollination of GM crops with organic
farms
• Patenting life forms
• Bio-piracy
• Terminator technology
• Politics: Frankenfoods
http://web.bio.utk.edu/schilling/EEB304/EEB304_LECT25_transgenics_spring11.ppt.
25

26. A N I M A L S :
Scientists engineer
featherless chicken by
removing feather gene
Scientists engineer
‘glowing’ mice from
bioluminescent gene in
a jellyfish
26

27. Cloning: produces an organism that is an exact
genetic copy of another
EXAMPLE: Dolly the sheep July 1996
• Scientists took nucleus from adult sheep &
implanted that into sheep egg cell
• Then placed modified cell into female sheep
and when offspring was born, it had identical
DNA of adult sheep
27

28. SOMATIC CELL TRANSFER
making an identical organism
use a somatic cell and enucleated egg cell
1. Egg is removed from Egg Cell Donor
• Nucleus is taken out and discarded
2. Somatic cell is taken out of a Somatic Cell Donor
• Nucleus is taken out and put in the egg cell
3. Egg and nucleus is zapped to start dividing
4. Placed into a Surrogate mother and results in a
healthy baby (hopefully)

30. ORGAN ENGINEERING
30

31. Stem Cells: cells that are part of the embryo
during early development- before they become
specific body cells
(embryonic & adult stem cells)
• These cells are useful in science because they
can be used to perform desired medical
functions- we can direct them
VIDEO: What are
stem cells? TED Ed
(4 min) 31

32. Genetic engineering & you:
(+) medical knowledge
in your DNA could help
prevent diseases
(+) personal medicine
for your DNA
(+) organ transplants
from your own cells
(+) birth defects can be
avoided
(-) when is it going too far?
(-) who has access to your
DNA information?
(-) whose cells will you use?
(-) how is research
conducted? Who are the
test subjects?
32

33. Genetic Engineering Other Issues
• What is going too far?
• STEM cells- when is a human ‘alive?’
• What if insurance companies could know
about your DNA?
• Should DNA information be kept in databases
or is it your personal information? Who will
regulate this?
http://web.bio.utk.edu/schilling/EEB304/EEB304
_LECT25_transgenics_spring11.ppt. 33

34. Before 1600-
• Animals are domesticated
• Crops are cultivated
• Yeast & bacteria used to ferment
cheese, wine, bread
1800-1850-
• Schleiden & Schawnn state the cell
theory, “All living things are made of
cells”
1850-1900-
• Pasteur creates pasteurization;
discovers Rabies vaccine
• Mendel studies genetics
• Darwin writes “Origin of Species”
1900-1950-
• First use of term ‘biotechnology’
• DNA is discovered to be hereditary
material
• Flemming Discovers penicillin
1950-1970-
• Watson & Crick describe DNA as double
helix
Biotechnology Timeline
1970-1980-
• Nanotechnology is coined (10 )
• Cohen & Boyer cut & splice DNA
• Restriction enzymes discovered
1980-1990-
• Diabetes is treated with genetically
engineered insulin
• First genetically modified vaccine:
Hepatitis B
1990-2000-
• Human Genome Project is funded by
Congress
• Flavr Savr tomato, resistant to rotting, is
approved by FDA
• Dolly the sheep is cloned
2000-present-
• CC (Carbon Copy) the cat is cloned
• Mapping of the Human Genome is
completed
• Vaccine to prevent Cervical Cancer
-9
34

35. RESOURCES:
‘Biotechnology’ presentation by Christina M. Spears, Georgia Ag Education Curriculum Office 2003
Edward Schilling presentation:
http://web.bio.utk.edu/schilling/EEB304/EEB304_LECT25_transgenics_spring11.ppt.
LABS: Beyond Benign
http://www.beyondbenign.org/K12education/biotech_ms.html
35