6.3 - issues relating to genetic manipulation

Question 1

Microorganisms eg. E coli

Answer 1

+make human insulin to treat diabetes
-could escape into the wild and transfer marker genes for antibiotic resistant bacteria

Question 2

Plants (maize, tobacco)

Answer 2

+used to produce a toxin used in pesticides
-bacteria toxic to monarch butterflies

Question 3

Soya beans

Answer 3

+resistant to herbicides so weeds competing could be killed
-gene for herbicide resistance may pass into weeds

Question 4

Golden rice

Answer 4

+contains beta carotene which a lack of in India causes blindness and death
-farmers may have to buy seed every year, but company that developed has offered free licenses to farmers

Question 5

Plantains

Answer 5

+contain more zinc as people in Kenya may be deficient due to low meat diet
-inserted genes may be expressed in us

Question 6

Crop plants resistant to pests

Answer 6

+don’t need to use pesticides
-worries some farmers might not want GM seed and no option to buy non GM seed

Question 7

Pathogens

Answer 7

+make vaccines without patient getting ill as remove virulence, used vectors gene therapy
-allele may be inserted increasing risk cancer

Question 8

Mice

Answer 8

+develop therapies for cancer
-some object to using animals for testing

Question 9

Silk

Answer 9

+strong so used in cables, sutures, produced in goat milk
-concerns raised over welfare of goats