8B Using Recombinant DNA Technology Flashcards
Making transformed organisms insulin example
The DNA fragment is isolated using various techniques
The DNA fragment is inserted into a plasmid vector
The plasmid containing the recombinant DNA is transferred into a bacterium
Transformed bacteria are identified and grown
The insulin produced from the cloned gene is extracted and purified
How are transformed plants produced
A gene that codes for a desirable protein is inserted into a bacterium which is used as a vector to get the gene into plant cells if the right promoter region has been added then the cell will be able to produce the desired protein
How are transformed animals produced
A gene that codes for a desirable protein is inserted into an early embryo or egg cell if it is inserted into a very early embryo all the body cells of the transformed organism will contain the gene. If it inserted into an egg cell when the female reproduces all the cells of her offspring will contain the gene
How are transformed plants produced
A gene that codes for a desirable is inserted into a plasmid the plasmid is added to a bacterium and the plasmid is used as a vector to get the gene into a plant cell if the right promoter gene has been added the cell will be able to produce the desired protein
How are transformed organisms used to benefit agriculture
Agricultural crops can be transformed to produce a higher yield or be more nutritious this can be used to reduce the risk of famine and malnutrition crops can be transformed to have pest resistant so that fewer pesticides are needed which reduces cost and reduces any environmental problems associated with using pesticides
How are transformed organisms used to benefit industry
Industrial processes often use enzymes which can be produced from transformed organisms so they can be produced in large quantities for less money reducing cost
How can transformed organisms be used to benefit medicine
Many drugs and vaccines are made from transformed organisms using recombinant DNA technology they can be made quickly cheaply and in large quantities using this method
How can transformed organisms negatively impact agriculture
Farmers may use monoculture which could make the whole crop vulnerable to the same disease because the plants are genetically identical monoculture can also reduce biodiversity some people are concerned about the possibility of super weeds this could occur if transformed crops inbreed with wild plants this could be an uncontrolled spread of recombinant DNA with unknown consequences
Organic farmers can have their crops contaminated meaning they can’t sell them
How can transformed organisms negatively impact the industry
Anti globalisation activists oppose globalisation a few large biotechnology companies control some forms of genetic engineering as the use of this technology increases these companies gets bigger forcing smaller companies out of business making it harder for them to compete without proper labelling some people think that they may not have a choice about about whether to consume food made of GM crops
Some consumer markets won’t import GM crops and food tips can cause an economic loss to producers
How can transforms organisms negatively impact medicine
Companies who own genetic engineering technologies may limit the use of technologies that could be saving lives
Some people believe this technology can be used unethically
How does gene therapy work
It involves altering the defective genes inside cells to treat genetic disorders and cancer
If the disorder involves two mutated recessive alleles you can add a working dominant allele to make up for them
If it is caused by a mutated dominant allele then you can silence the dominant allele by sticking a bit of DNA in the middle of the allele so it doesn’t work anymore
In gene therapy, how is the new allele inserted into the cell
Using a vector
What are the two types of gene therapy
Somatic therapy and germ line therapy
Describe in gene therapy, somatic therapy
this involves altering the alleles in body cells particularly the ones that are most affected by the disorder
Describe in gene therapy, germ line therapy
this involves altering the alleles in sex cells. This means that every cell of any offspring produced will be affected by the gene therapy and won’t suffer from the disease. Germ line therapy is however currently illegal in humans
Ethical issues surrounding gene therapy
Some people are worried that the technology could be used in other ways than for medical treatment, for example such as for treating the cosmetic effects of ageing. Other people worry there is potential to do more harm than good by using the technology
How can Recombinant DNA technology cause ownership issues
There is some debate about who owns genetic material from humans once it has been removed from the body
A small number of large cooperation’s own patents to particular seeds. They can charge high prices . If non GM crops are contaminated by GM crops, farmers can be sued for breaching the patent law
