Cloning + Biotechnology Flashcards
Asexual reproduction
Is a form of cloning and it results in offspring produced by mitosis, clones aes usually genetically identical to both the parent organism
Natural cloning in plants
Occurs in many species of flowering plant
A structure forms which develops in a fully different plant which is genetically identcial to the parent
Occurs in: bramley apples, bulbs, runners ( strawberrys), rhizomes ( grass), stem tubers ( potato)
Micropropagation definition
Process of making large numbers of geneticslly identcia, offspring from a single parent using tissue culture techniques, produces desirable plants
When is micropropagation used
When plants:
dont regulally produce seeds
Dont respond to natural cloning
Are very rare
Have been selectively bred with difficulty
Is required to be pathogen free by growers
Aseptic techniques
Autoclave- high pressure = higher boiling point of water (140 degrees)
Bunsen - heats air up and away from test tube
P.P.E - personal protective equipment
Disinfect surface
Laminar flow - room has high pressure
Clean forceps
Advantages for micropropagation
- Allows for production of large numbers of plants with known genetic makeup which yeilds good crops
- culturing meristem tissue produces disease free plants
- provides a way to grow plants which are naturally relatviely infertile
- provides a way of reliably increasing the numbers of rare or endangered species
- can produce plants which are seedless + sterile therfore meet consumers tastes and needs
- possible to produce viable numbers of plants after genetic modificstion of plant cells
Arguments against micropropagation
Produces a monoculture, all organisms are susceptible to the same disease
Expensive and requires skilled workers
If source material is infectes with a virus all the clones will have that virus
Large number of plants aes lost during the process
Explants + plantlets are vunerable to disease during the production process
Basic principles of micropropagation and tissue culture
- Take a small sample of tissue from the plant you want to clone - meristem tissue from shoot tips and axial buds is often dissected out into sterile to avoid contamination by fungi or virus
- sample is sterilised by immersing it in sterilising agents such as ethanol or bleach. The material removed from the plant is called explant
- explant is placed in a sterile culture medium containing a balance of hormones which stiumlate mitosis. The cells proliferate forming a mass of identical cells known as a callus
- the callus is divided up and individual cells or clumps from the callus are transferred to a new culture medium containing a different mixutre of hormones and nutrients whcih stiumlate the development of geneticallt identical plantlets
- plantlets are plotted imto the compost where they grow into small plants
stages of artificial twinning
- cow with desirable traits is treated with hormones so she super ovulates
- ova are fertilised ( either naturally or artificially)
- whilst the cells are still totipotent they are harvested and split to produce several smaller embryos capable of growing into a full-term calf
- embryos are grown in lab for a few days then implanted into a surrogate mother due to lower risk
- embryos develop in foetuses and are born naturally
process of somatic cell nuclear transfer
- the nucleus is removed from a somatic cell of an adult animal
- the nucleus is removed from a mature ovum harvested from a different female animal of the same species ( it is enucleated)
- the nucleus from the adult somatic cell is placed into the enucleated ovum and given a mild electrical shock so it fuses and begins to divide. in some cases nucleus from the adult cell is not removed it is simply placed next to the enucleated ovum and the 2 cells fuse and begin to divide
- the embryo that develops is transferred into the uterus of a third animal where it develops into a term
- new animal is a clone from the original, but will have the mitochondrial DNA from the egg cell
arguments for animal cloning
- enables high yielding farm animals to produce many more offspring than normal reproduction
- somatic cell nuclear transfer enables GM embryos to be replicated giving many GM embryos from one procedure
- allows specific animals such as pets or top class racing horses to be cloned
- endangered or rare species could be reproduced
arguments against animal cloning
- somatic cell nuclear transfer is a very inefficient process, in most animals it takes many eggs to produce a single cloned offspring
- many cloned animal embryos fail to develop and miscarry or produce malformed offspring
many animals produced by cloning have shortened life spans
what is biotechnology
involves applying biological organisms or enzymes to the synthesis, breakdown, or transformation of materials in the service of people
genetically modifying microorganism synthesising drugs such as insulin and antibiotics
what is bioremediation
use of biological systems to remove soil and water pollutant
This can be through the use of natural organisms or genetically modified organisms which can break down or accumulate contaminants which they would not naturally encounter
microorganisms involved in baking
yeast- is mixed with sugar and water to respire aerobically.
carbon dioxide produced makes bread rise
microorganisms involved in Brewing
yeast - respires anaerobically yo produce ethanol
traditional yeast ferment at 20-28 degrees, GM yeast ferment at lower temps therefore are cheaper and sink at the end of the process to produce clear beer