Selective Breeding and Genetic Modification, and Cloning

Question 1

Describe how selective breeding is carried out

Answer 1

• Organisms with the desired traits are selected
• These organisms are bred together
• This process is repeated until the offspring have the desired characteristics

Question 2

What is genetic engineering?

Answer 2

Altering the genome of an organism

Question 3

How are new genes introduced into an organism?

Answer 3

• The organisms genes are cut using restriction enzymes to create sticky ends
• The DNA from a bacterium is also cut to produce sticky ends
• The gene is inserted into the bacterium and joined together by DNA ligase enzymes

Question 4

Give 3 benefits of genetically modified crops

Answer 4

• The plants are resistant to herbicides and disease
• The plants grow bigger and more quickly
• The plants can grow in harsher environments and without the need to continue to top of nutrients frequently

Question 5

What is a transgenic organism?

Answer 5

An organism that contains foreign DNA

Question 6

Describe the process of tissue culture

Answer 6

• Small cuttings (explants) are taken from the plant that you wish to clone
• The cuttings are placed in an agar dish containing growth hormones
• Once the new plants have grown enough, they are transferred to soil

Question 7

State 2 benefits of tissue culture (micropropagation)

Answer 7

• Can produce many plants quickly
• Can produce lots of plants with desirable traits

Question 8

Describe how animal cell cloning can be carried out

Answer 8

• The nucleus is removed from an unfertilised egg cell to create an enucleated cell
• The nucleus is removed from a cell from the animal you wish to clone
• The nucleus is placed in the enucleated cell and cell division is triggered by an electric shock
• Once the embryo gets big enough, it is placed in a surrogate mother

Question 9

Give one example of a human protein made by a transgenic organism

Answer 9

Insulin (made by modified E. coli)