GMO’s

Question 1

What are GMO’s?

Answer 1

Genetically Modified Organisms are organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engeneering techniques.
- one gene of a species is transferred to the DNA sequence of another species

Question 2

Are injected organisms GMO’s?

Answer 2

GMO’s have to grow from the seed. other genetic modifications (ie. injections) are not GMO’s.

Question 3

What is the basic principle of producing GMO’s?

Answer 3

adding new genetic material into an organism’s genome.

Question 4

What is created when inserding the DNA of one organism into another?

Answer 4

recombinant DNA

Question 5

What does genetic modification involve?

Answer 5

the insertion and deletion of genes.

Question 6

What is horizontal gene transfer?

Answer 6

When genes are inserted (usually from a different species).

Question 7

How can horizontal gene transfer occur?

Answer 7

• exogenous DNA penetrates the cell membrane
• attaching a gene to a virus (or vector)

Question 8

What are the two most common applications of GMO’s?

Answer 8

1) food: canola, soy beans, golden rice, corn
2) medicine: insulin, hormones and vaccines

Question 9

What were the first organisms to be modified? Why?

Answer 9

BACTERIA, because they have simple genetics.

Question 10

What are bacteria used for? State examples.

Answer 10

Producing large amounts of pure human proteins (for medcine use).

eg.
produce insulin to treat diabetes
clotting factors to treat heamophillia
human growth hormones to treat dwarfism

Question 11

What are transgenic plants? How do they differ from normal plants?

Answer 11

Transgenic plants are plants which have been genetically modified.
- improve crops: higher vitamin content, insect resistant, smaller water intake.

Question 12

State the three main transformation methods.

Answer 12

1) Phyical Methods: microinjection,pressure, biolistics, electroporation, microinjection, SAT
2) Chemical Methods: PEG, calcium phosphate, artificial lipids, proteins, dendrimers
3) Biological Methods: virus mediated, A. Tumefaciens, A. Rhizogenes.

Question 13

What is “gene gun”? principals?

Answer 13

Protoplasts (plant cells without a cell wall)
Attacking with the gene gun
Protoplasts transform
Plants regenerate
Acclimatizartion

Question 14

What is “Electroporation”?

Answer 14

plant cell —> protoplast (remove cell-wall) —> protoplast + foreign DNA —> add electrical shock —> foreign DNA migrates and mixes

Question 15

What are “microinjections”?

Answer 15

DNA is injected into a cell

Question 16

What are Bt proteins? How are they achieved?

Answer 16

• Bt proteins = Bacillus thuringiensis
• Bacillus thuringiensis are spore-forming soil bacteria (gram positive), which are toxic to mny insects and pests.

—> plants modified with Bt proteins become resistant to insects.

HOW?
- through plasmids (plasmid is removed, foreign DNA is added to the plasmid, and then the plasmid is inserted back into the cell)

Question 17

What is an example of Bt plants?

Answer 17

Bt corn.
Corn rootworms don’t infect Bt corn.

Question 18

What are transgenic animals?

Answer 18

Animals possessing genes of other species.
- Somatic cell nuclear transfer

Question 19

Explain somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Answer 19

The diploid nucleus of a somatic cell is removed and inserted into the an unfertilized ovum cell (whose own nucleus has been removed).

• cells which develop become identical individuals

Question 20

What does gene transfer contribute to?

Answer 20

Domesticated animals in relation to immunology, vaccines, aging and cancer.

Question 21

What is nuclear fission?

Answer 21

• union of nuclei from two gamtes (male or female sex ells)
• selecting desired traits is possible.

Question 22

What is the “cloning”?

Answer 22

• chemical splitting of developing embryos shortly after fertilization,
• causes the development of two identical individuals.

Question 23

What are the advantages and disadvantages of GMO’s?

Answer 23

.