topic 4: genetic engineering Flashcards
what is tissue culture
the process of culturing living tissue outside of the organism in a growth medium
how is tissue culture performed I plants?
use tweezers to remove tissue from the tip of the root or shoot, using aseptic technique place the tissue on a growth medium, once to has developed place the tissue in compost
benefits of tissue culture
produces a lot of offspring with desirable traits, increased crop yield, can help bring back endangered species
problems with tissue culture
gene pool is reduced so a disease could wipe out whole population, low survival problems, genetic problems, could lead to human cloning
what is genetic engineering
modifying an organism by introducing a gene from another organism with a desired characteristic
examples of genetic engineering
plant cells engineered to have disease resistance and grow larger fruits, bacteria cells engineered to produce insulin to treat diabetes.
stages of genetic engineering
genes from chromosomes are cut out using restriction enzymes, same restriction enzymes are used to cut the vector into which the genes will be placed, ligase enzymes are used to attach the sticky ends of the gene and the vector together to produce the recombinant gene, vector is placed into another organism at an early stage so desired genes move into its cells.
benefits of GM organisms
useful in medicine to mass produce hormones, improves yields in agriculture, crops grow with extra nutrients in nutrient deficient areas, greater yields can help solve world hunger.
risks of genetic engineering
reduced biodiversity, don’t fully understand impacts on human health, could lead to genetic engineering in humans, could create super weeds and pests.
what does the BT crop do?
produces toxins that kill insect larvae, this increases crop yields and profits but reduces biodiversity
