16 GENETIC ENGINEERING + CLONING

Question 1

Define transgenic

Answer 1

The transfer of genetic material from one species to a different species

Question 2

What is a vector

Answer 2

Things that carry DNA from one organism to another

Question 3

How can the human insulin gene be made

Answer 3

• The human insuling gene is located on chromosome 11
• The gene is cut from the chrosmosome using a DNA restriction enzyme
• A plasmid is removed from the bacterium vector and cut open with he same DNA restriction enzyme
• Each DNA restriction enzyme cuts at a specific sequence of bases, producing short single stranded sections (sticky ends)
• The human gene and plasmid join together due to complementary base pairing
• A DNA ligase enzyme forms bonds between them to bake a recombinant DNA

Question 4

How can large ammounts of insulin be produced, after the gene been made

Answer 4

• The transgenic bacteria are placed in a steralised fermenter
• Oxygen, temperature, nutrient medium and stirring is monitored
• The insulin is secreted by bacteria, and purified

Question 5

How can large ammounts of insulin be produced, after the gene been made

Answer 5

• The transgenic bacteria are placed in a steralised fermenter
• Oxygen, temperature, nutrient medium and stirring is monitored
• The insulin is secreted by bacteria, and purified

Question 6

Advantages to GM plants

Answer 6

• More precise method than selective breeding
• Disease/pest resistance
• Higher crop yield
• Less pesticide use - pollution

Question 7

What is artificial propagation

Answer 7

Taking cuttings from plants to produce genetically identicaln daugter plants

Question 8

What is tissue culture (micropropagation)

Answer 8

• An explant is cut from the desired plant and steralised
• Divides by mitosis to become a callus
• Plant hormones are used to stinulate shoot and root growth of the callus
• They grow into individual cloned plants

Question 9

How are mammals cloned

Answer 9

• A body cell is taken from sheep 1, and the whole nucleus removed
• An egg cell is taken from sheep 2, and the nucleus removed
• The nucleus from sheep 1 is enucleated into the egg cell, then shocked with electricity
• The cell is placed in a surrogate uterus
• It divides by mitosis for a clone of sheep A to be born

Question 10

How could transgenic mammals help make human proteins

Answer 10

Mammals could be cloned to produce human proteins like antibodies in their milk