History of Genetic Engineering

1. Genetic Engineering
Chapter 1: History of Genetic Engineering
Hikmet Geçkil, Professor
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics
Inonu University

2. Prehistoric Times
• Since prehistoric times (circa 10,000 years ago),
domestication of organisms (both animals and
plants) through artificial selection (aka. selective
breeding)
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Genetic Engineering: History of Genetic
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3. • Genetic engineering (a.k.a., recombinant DNA
technology) is the direct transfer of DNA from
one organism to another which was first
accomplished by Herbert Boyer and Stanley
Cohen in 1973.
• Since 1976 the technology has been
commercialised, with companies producing and
selling genetically modified food and medicine.
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Genetic Engineering: History of Genetic
Engineering

4. Major Breakthroughs in Genetics
• Genetic inheritance (i.e.,
heredity) was first
discovered by Gregor
Mendel in 1865
following experiments
crossing peas: the
foundation of modern
genetics.
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5. • 1869 Isolation of nucleic acids (what he called nuclein)
by Friedrich Miescher.
• 1902 Walter Sutton & Theodor Boveri propose that
inheritance is due to chromosomes.
• The term "genetics" was coined by William Bateson in
1905.
• 1910 Thomas Morgan demonstrated that the
chromosomes carry the genes.
• 1948 Barbara McClintock discovered transposons.
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• 1940s-1950s Frederick Griffith's transformation
experiment and DNA carries the genetic information
Colin MacLeodOswald Avery
Frederick Griffith

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• Martha Chase and Alfred Hershey’s blender experiment

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1953 James Watson and Francis Crick
with their DNA model: foundation to
the era of ”molecular genetics”

9. • 1961 Sidney Brenner, François Jacob &
Matthew Meselson: messenger RNA.
• 1966 Marshall Nirenberg & Har Gobind
Khorana: genetic code.
• 1990s- 2010s focus: large-scale genetics
projects and entire genome sequencings.
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10. Genetic Engineering: The Tools of the Trade
• Two Important Tools
1. Restriction enzymes (enzymes to “cut”
DNA)
2. Small DNA Vectors (plasmids, cosmids,
phages) used to transfer the “pasted”
DNA.
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11. Genetic Engineering: Major Breakthroughs
• 1969 Stewart Linn & Werner Arber
discovered restriction enzymes in Escherichia coli.
• 1972 The first recombinant DNA molecule (i.e.,
combined the DNA from SV40 virus with the DNA
from lambda virus) by Paul Berg, utilizing restriction
enzymes and DNA ligase.
• 1977 DNA sequencing method by Frederick Sanger.
• 1983 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) by Kary Mullis.
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12. • 1996 The birth of the first cloned animal, Dolly
the sheep.
• 2003 Human genome sequenced.
• Since the 1990s Gene therapy in clinical trials
to treat diseases and conditions such
as AIDS, cystic fibrosis, cancer, high
cholesterol, etc.
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13. Since 1976 Commercialization of genetically
modified food, feed-stock, and medicine
• Insulin, growth hormone, erythropoietin, factor
IX, interferons, interleukins, tissue plasminogen
activator
• Vacine production
• Glo fish to help detect environmental pollutants
• Flavr Savr tomato, Golden Rice, GM potato, soya,
and Bt corn, etc.
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14. Genetic Engineering: The Latest …
• RNA interference and other gene silincing
technologies
• Gene and genome editing methodologies
• Other clinical translations: modified immune
cells and stem cells
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