8B- Using Recombinant DNA Technology Flashcards
What is genetic engineering?
Microorganisms, plants, animals can all be transformed using recombinant DNA technology.
How do you create transformed organisms?
Eg, insulin
The DNA fragment containing insulin is isolated.
The DNA 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 plasmid.
The plasmid is added to a bacterium and the bacterium is used I a vector to her the gene into the plant cells.
If the right promoter region has been added along with the gene, the transformed cells will be able to produce a desired protein.
How are transformed animals produced?
A gene that codes for a desirable protein can be inserted into an early embryo or an egg cell.
If this gene is inserted into an embryo all it’s body cells will contain the gene.
Promoter regions that are only activated in specific cell types can be used to control exactly which of an animal’s body cells the protein is produced in. If the protein is only produced in certain cells, it can be harvested more easily.
How can recombinant DNA technology be used to benefit humans?
Crops can produce a higher yield and become more nutritious. They can be pest resistant, reducing costs of fertilisers.
Industrial processes often used enzymes. These can be produced from transformed organisms, lowering costs and increasing quantity.
Drugs and vaccines can be created quickly, cheaply and in large quantities using transformed organisms.
What are the concerns about the use of recombinant DNA technology within agriculture?
Farmers may only plant one type of transformed crop (monoculture). This could make the crop vulnerable to the same disease because they are genetically identical. It may also damage the soil and decrease biodiversity.
Super weeds may be produced (plants that are resistant to herbicides). This could occur if transformed crops interbreed with wild plants.
Organic farmers may be affected by the seeds so can’t cell their crops as organic.
What are the concerns about the use of recombinant DNA technology within industry?
It would be unfair on small businesses as large companies can buy the technology, making them powerful and making it difficult for smaller companies to compete, eg. With enzymes.
Without proper labelling people may not know that they’re consuming genetically modified food using engineered organisms, eg yoghurt.
Some consumer markers, such as the EU, won’t import GM foods. This can cause economic loss.
Companies who own the technology could be saving lives but instead want profit.
What are the ownership issues with recombinant DNA?
Who owns genetic material from humans once it’s been removed, the donor or the researcher?
A small number of large corporations own patents to particular seeds. They can charge higher prices and make farmers repurchase seeds every year.
How do humanitarians think recombinant DNA technology is going to benefit people?
Agricultural crops can reduce the risk of famine.
Transformed crops could produce useful pharmaceutical products.
Medicines could be produced more cheaply.
How does gene therapy work to treat or cure genetic disorders and cancer?
Gene therapy involves altering the defective genes inside cells to treat genetic disorders and cancer.
If it’s caused by two mutated recessive alleles you can add a working dominant allele to make up for them.
If it’s caused by a mutated dominant you can silence the dominant allele by placing non coding DNA in the middle of it.
How do you get the ‘new’ allele (DNA) inside the cell for gene therapy to cure genetic disorders?
The allele is inserted into cells using vectors just like in a recombinant DNA technology.
Different vectors can be used, eg. Altered viruses, plasmids or liposomes(spheres made of lipid).
What are the two types of gene therapy?
Somatic therapy.
Germ line therapy.
What is somatic therapy?
This involves altering the alleles in body cells that are most affected by the disorder.
Eg for cyclic fibrosis it targets epithelial cells lining the lungs.
It doesn’t affect sex cells though, so offspring could inherit the genes still.
What is germ line therapy?
This involves altering the alleles in sex cells.
This means the offspring also won’t be affected by the disease.
However this is illegal.
What are the ethical issues associated with gene therapy?
Could be used in other ways than medical treatment.
Eg. Cosmetic use to combat ageing.
