Genetic Engineering Flashcards
What is genetic engineering
the process of transfeeeing genetic info from one organism to another
organism is referred to as a genetically modified organism
GM crop
why would you genetically modify plants
to give them a combination of genes that will result in them having desirable physical characteristics
what advantageous traits are benifical to humans
disease - resistant genes
increased growth rates
toxins to ward off insect pests
increased shelf life
why would you gm bacteria
to produce useful chemical
their dna is loose in the cytoplasm making it easier to modify
they also grow and replicate quick
what is insulin
hormone which is important in controlling glucose levels in the body
what is diabetes
people who cannot produce their own insulin
they control the level of glucose in their blood
to solve this diabetics used to inject insulin that came from cows and pigs
what is the problems of insulin from pigs
- slow and expensive process
some people are allergic to animal insulin
could cause side effects
how to genetically engineer a bacterial cell
-identify section of dna that contains required gene from source chromosome
- the required gene is extracted from source chromosome using enzyme
- plasmid is extracted from the bacterial cell and cut open using enzymes
- the required gene is inserted into the bacterial plasmid
- the genetically modified plasmid is inserted into a host bacterial cell to produce a gm organism which is capable of producing new protein
what are medical products produced by genetic engineering
insulin
human growth hormone
factor V111 ( blood clotting )
advantages to genetic engineering
- characteristic can be transferred from one organism to another
- creates a human product instead of an animal product
- very fast production
- increased product purity
- unlimited quantity produced
disadvantages of genetic engineering
risk of releasing a genetically engineered bacteria into the environment
expensive
ethical and moral issues
