Mod 6 Genetic Change Flashcards

Question

What are some current genetic technologies that induce genetic change?

Answer 1

* Reproductive technologies - Artificial Pollination & Insemination, IVF * Cloning techniques - Whole-organism cloning (SCNT, propagation, micropropagation, apomixis), Therapeutic cloning, Gene cloning * Recombinant DNA techniques - Transgenesis, gene sequencing, gene therapy (using CRISPR-Cas9), CRISPR

Answer 2

* AI is used to create Belgian Blue cows - bigger muscles, more meat, leaner & healthier meat, less cows = less expensive * AP is used to grow vanilla as natural pollination is very slow - there is only one bee known to pollinate naturally * both are commonly used in agriculture, especially industrial agriculture

Answer 3

* faster growing/shorter breeding time * higher nutrient value, yields, and growth rates * higher incomes * supports economy & trade of desirable crops * increased uniformity in desired traits * Global benefits from storage & transport of semen rather than transporting sire/animals * reduces spread of STDs in animals

Answer 4

* selected traits may make organisms more susceptible to pests/disease * while one trait is selected for over generations, others may be inadvertently lost, e.g. pest/disease resistance * often leads to monoculture/loss of GD and loss of species * AP can be inefficient/time consuming * fetilisation is not guaranteed * AP has lower quality of fruit compared to naturally pollinated * AI requires well-trained operators & equipment * improper cleaning/unhygienic conditions may lead to infection & lower fertility in AI * Larger labour costs & increased infrastructure facilites

Answer 5

* Used for fertility treatment in humans * Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis of embryos scans for genetic diseases * able to freeze embryos

Answer 6

* ensures continuity of species * same-sex couples and single females can become parents * fatal/dangerous genetic diseases can be identified before birth - prevents stillbirths, miscarriages, and neonatal death * able to freeze embryos

Answer 7

* can be very expensive * can be very time-consuming * low success rate * requires specialist training & equipment * not accessible to everyone * may decrease GD as certain genes (e.g. for disease) are 'edited' out

Answer 8

* many ancient grapevines are propagated to maintain flavour of ancient wines * propagation & micropropagation are often used in agriculture - monoculture farming

Answer 9

* perpetuates monocultures - lack of GD * can be time consuming - requires training & industrial production * micropropagation requires sterile growth medium & aseptic techniques

Answer 10

* conserves specific qualities of organisms * plant propagation and micropropagation is faster than growing from a seed * inexpensive * widespread use = effective * maintains quality & uniformity of plants

Answer 11

* can be used in conservation * Some animals have been cloned to have gene mutations to help scientists study diseases that develop in animals * Can be used in drug research * can be used to produce human medication * can be used to create animals with desirable traits for agriculture * None of these are widespread due to very low success rates

Answer 12

* conserves desirable traits * can help advance medicine and research by cloning specific organs * Can help scientists study diseases that develop in animals * Can produce medicine needed to treat humans

Answer 13

* very low success rate * very expensive * often has unforeseen health risks to animal * decreases GD * surrogate mothers suffer health risks

Answer 14

* Can be in vivo (using bacteria to copy DNA via binary fission) or ex vivo (PCR machine/thermal cycling) * transgenic bacteria are used to produce human insulin for medical use

Answer 15

* products can improve health & wellbeing in medical applications * produces large amounts of gene copies in a short amount of time * cheap

Answer 16

* potential for accidental mutations - may alter function of gene/protein * GMOs have risk of horizontal gene transfer * Cloned genes related to pathogens or toxins can potentially be misused in bioterrorism * can be legal and commercial restrictions around cloned genes, creating issues over who owns genetic material

Answer 17

* Can be used to extract gene product * Transgenesic bacteria are used to produce human insulin for medical use * can transfer genes between species * CRISPR can be used to edit genes * Gene therapy can be used in medicine to reprogram dysfunctional cells/tissue * transgenesis can be used to create pest-resistant plants * Gene sequencing can be used to personalise medical treatment

Answer 18

* Plasmids contain antibiotic resistance genes – when used to create transgenic organism, resistance has potential to be transferred also = exacerbating problems with abx resistance * gene therapy has very low success rate & is very expensive * GM crops may outcompete wild crops * possible cross contamination and migration of recombinant DNA between organisms

Answer 19

* Fast & cheap * products can improve health & wellbeing in medical applications * can transfer genes between species * CRISPR - fast and cheap * Gene therapy using CRISPR-Cas9 can treat diseases such as CF and sickle-cell anaemia * pest-resistant plants reduce cost and use of pesticides * Gene sequencing can be used to personalise medical treatment

Answer 20

using 'cuttings' of plants to grow clones

Answer 21

Small portions of plant tissue are grown in a solid growth medium or nutrient agar broth until ready to be transplanted

Answer 22

The use of transgenesis to get plants to produce clonal seeds without being fertilised

Answer 23

* involve transfer of male gametes to female gametes * requires a female and a male able to mate

Answer 24

* produce offspring with selected desired traits * produces offspring that has genes from male and female gametes used

Answer 25

AI: * produces live animals * offspring produce semen or eggs AP: * produces fruits * offspring produce seeds only

Answer 26

AI: * transfers semen to vagina/uterus * collects semen using artificial vagina AP: * transfers pollen to stigma * collects pollen grains using a brush

Answer 27

* Widespread use * very effective * cheap - widespread availability * very high success rate

Answer 28

* Not widely used * very low success rate - 0.1-4% * expensive procedure limits access * high pregnancy loss and mortality * Surrogate mothers suffer increased health risks * Using cloned animals as food remains controversial & is generally not accepted * could be used in conservation efforts? * very low effectiveness

Answer 29

* Gene cloning is a fast and efficient way to produce many copies of a gene * gene cloning techniques used in gene therapy to treat disease such as CF have not been very successful - expensive and attacked by immune system * GM plants that use gene cloning have proved to produce higher nutrient value, pest resistance, etc. * overall, very effective

Answer 30

1. RE "cuts" gene of interest from the cell of species A 2. The same RE is used to "cut" the plasmid from the cell of species B 3. Ligase joins the "cut" genes together 4. The resultant transgenic plasmid is reinsterted into the cell of species B using an electric pulse

Answer 31

A procedure where genetic material is transferrred from one species to another species

Answer 32

* Human insulin production - uses transgenic bacteria with human insulin gene * Transgenic sheep - produce human blood-clotting factors in milk to treat haemophilia * Knock-out mice replace existing genes with artifical DNA & are cross-bred to produce pure-breeding offspring without a specific gene - allows scientists to infer function of lost gene by obersving differences in behaviour or phenotypes * Knock out mice are used in cancer research to study potential cancer drugs/symptoms

Answer 33

* Transgenic Atlantic salmon - contain transgene that includes Chinook salmon growth hormone and Ocean Pout antifreeze protein → grow faster & larger, more income * Bt cotton - contains transgene from bacteria (Bt) that produces toxin that kills caterpillar pests → don't need pesticide or insecticide * Golden Rice - contain transgene from dandelions/corn and a bacterium that produces high amounts of vitamin A

Answer 34

* less cost on pesticides/insecticides - pest resistant plants * higher income for farmers - higher yields, quality, and faster growing * higher nutritional value can be used to treat vitamin deficiencies - Golden Rice

Answer 35

* can be used to create human proteins & hormones to treat diseases - e.g. insulin for diabetes, blood-clotting factors for haemophilia * gene therapy can possibly treat chronic diseases such as cystic fibrosis (not very successful) * transgenic organisms can produce large amounts of desired protein at a lower cost & faster * transgenic bacteria are less likely to cause adverse reactions & decrease reliance on animals * can be used to prevent contraction of dangerous diseases via vaccines - created by cloning inactive antigens

Answer 36

* Reduce environmental pollution using GM organisms to clean up crude oil or eat plastic * Genetically modifying plants to produce more starch to produce more biofuel ethanol - better for environment & reduces climate change

Answer 37

* potential for escape into the wild, disrupting ecosystems or leading to gene flow into natural populations * Scaling up genetically engineered organisms to industrial level is costly and time-consuming * Genetically modified traits can become unstable over generations or under changing industrial conditions

Answer 38

Domestication/selective breeding of animals & plants (incl. AP and AI) * temporarily increases biodiversity * long term decrease in BD * may lead to monoculture * selectively bred ogranisms may outcompete wild types * lowers global GD in animals as one sire (male) is used to impregnate females over large geographical area * often leads to land clearing & loss of species & BD GMO Cavendish Bananas * banana GD is already so low it would increase GD * Cavendish are sterile so no risk of gene transfer into wild and unintentionally growing GMOs * perpetuates monoculture of predominant species (low BD) Overuse of Abx on farm animals * decreases bacterium BD * increases abx resistant bacteria

Answer 39

AI & IVF * ethical issues over potential for 'designer babies' with increased use of gene-editing * some companies take advantage of people desperate to have children despite very low chance of success Using Gene Cloning to produce Insulin * some religious groups can use bacterial insulin due to beliefs that prevent use of pig/cow products * some companies patent genes of interest - ethical issues over "owning" a human gene * reluctance of some cultures/groups to accept GMOs Golden Rice * some communities resist GMOs due to traditional agriculture practices or skepticism about biotech corporations * debate over "forcing" poor people in developing countries to eat Golden Rice

Answer 40

Golden Rice: * Can be cultivated using existing farming methods - cost-effective solution * intellectual property rights & regulations may limit access for small farmers, potentially leading to dependence on biotech firms Transgenesis: * relatively cheap to produce when using bacteria * Some companies have moved to patent genes of interest - limits access * Transgenic Cavendish bananas resistant to fungal diseases maintain employment & income of current growers and reduces crop loss * Different countries have different laws/rules regarding GMO - prevent global use/distribution Whole-Organism Cloning: * very cheap for plants, very expensive for animals Gene Cloning: * Relatively fast & cheap * Needed to produce vaccines & medicines Gene Therapy: * very expensive & requires ongoing treatment - limits access IVF: * can be very expensive * requires specialist equipment & training - expensive * not accessible to everyone Artifical Insemination: * economic benefits for breeders * higher yield - more income * Requires well-trained operators & equipment * larger labour costs & increased infrasturcture facilities * market for bulls is reduced - unneeded males are often killed Artificial Pollination: * greater yield = increased income * supports economy & trade of desirable crops e.g. vanilla * can be inefficient/time consuming & costly * specialist training for staff required * lower quality fruit compared to naturally pollinated

Answer 41

* Micro-injection - injecting DNA directly into nucleus of egg cell * Biolistics - mechanically delivering DNA on microscopic particles into target tissues and cells by 'firing' them from a gene 'gun' * Electroporation - increasing the membrane permeability by applying an electrical current * Transduction - DNA is carried into cells by a viral vector which may be injected directly into bloodstream or delivered by aerosol

Answer 42

* Clustered Regularly InterSpaced Palindromic Repeats * natural defence mechanism in bacteria against viral infections * when bacteria eliminate a virus, enzymes break down the virus' genetic material into small pieces which form CRISPR RNA * This CRISPR RNA guides molecular machinery to destroy the viral genome from the bacterium genome & allows bacterium to recognise and defend itself against future similar infections * Scientists have used this to edit DNA using guide RNAs and Cas9 enzyme

Answer 43

1. Identifying target gene: Scientists choose a specific gene in the DNA they want to edit 2. Creating guide RNA (gRNA): A small piece of RNA is designed to match and bind to the target gene, acting as a guide for Cas9 enzyme 3. Cutting the DNA: Cas9 enzyme acts as molecular scissors, attaching to the guide RNA and cutting the DNA at the specified location (PAM) 4. Repairing or Editing the DNA: The cell recognises the break in DNA and attempts to repair it - this step is used to disable a faulty gene or insert a correct version 5. Finalising the Edit: Once repair is complete, the edited gene function as intended

Mod 6 Genetic Change Flashcards

(67 cards)