Transgenic Animals. Flashcards
Define CRE-recombinase?
A tyrosine recombinase enzyme that is derived from the P1 bacteriophage.
Define floxed DNA sequences?
DNA sequences that are between 2 LOX sequences.
Define gene knockout?
The removal of harmful or undesired genes.
Define a stem cell?
An undifferentiated cell.
Define a target construct?
A disrupted version of a gene that will be used in gene knockout.
What is a genetically modified animal?
An animal that carries a foreign gene that has been deliberately inserted into its genome.
How is the foreign gene that is inserted into a transgenic animal constructed?
By the use of recombinant DNA technology.
Who invented transgenic animals by inserting foreign genes inside the oocytes of Xenopus flies?
A scientist called Gurdon.
Who coined the term transgenic animals?
Gurdon and Ruddle.
What are some examples of transgenic animals?
Transgenic fish such as; Glow-fish.
Transgenic mice; Knockout mice.
Transgenic goats; Silk-milk goats.
What kind of animal is created when 2 different species are bred together?
A hybrid.
What is a drawback of the creation of genetic hybrid animals?
The hybrids cannot reproduce.
Why can hybrids often not reproduce?
As each of the parent species has a different number of chromosomes.
What are some examples of genetic hybrids?
The mule. Donkey and horse.
Liger. Male lion and female tiger.
Tigon. Male tiger and a lioness.
Zonkey. A male zebra and a female donkey.
Zedonk. A male donkey and a female zebra.
What 3 categories can the benefits of transgenic animals be placed into?
Agriculture.
Industry.
Medicine.
What has the science of creating transgenic animals allowed for?
The creation of animals that exhibit specific traits that are beneficial to humans.
How has the creation of transgenic sheep benefited agriculture?
They have been engineered to produce larger coats which will provide farmer with more wool.
How has the creation of transgenic livestock benefited agriculture?
Transgenic livestock contains more meat on their carcass allowing them to be sold for more money.
Why do transgenic fish often grow larger than wild fish?
As they have extra copies of the growth hormone which allows them to grow up to 6 times faster than wild fish..
How does xenotransplantation benefit the field of medicine?
It allows for animal organs such as kidneys and hearts to be transplanted into humans.
How can transgenic animals be used to produce pharmecuticals?
Pharmaceuticals such as insulin and blood clotting factors that can be obtained from the milk of animals.
How can transgenic animals be used to cure genetic diseases?
The normal copy of the gene can be grown in transgenic animals and then inserted into the human genome.
How can transgenic animals be used in genetic research?
By providing information into how the genome works by via techniques such as gene knockout or gene insertion.
How can transgenic animals be used in the search for new drugs that target specific genes?
These genes of interest are inserted into the animal and this allows researchers to test the drug on the animal.
How can transgenic animals be used in the search for new drugs that target specific diseases?
The genes of the animal can also be altered so that it exhibits a particular disease.
This allows us to test the effectiveness of drugs against this disease.
How can animals be used in the pharmecutical industry?
They can be used for safety testing and drug screening to ensure that the drugs will work effectively.
How can transgenic animals be used to test the safety of certain chemicals?
They can be edited so they have the ability to sniff out substances that may toxic.
How can transgenic animals be used as industrial bioreactors?
The genes that code for certain proteins are inserted into the animal.
The proteins are harvested from the target cells or from milk.
How can transgenic animals be used to produce industrial substances?
Bio steel is produced by transgenic spiders and can be used as a suture material in hospitals or in bullet proof vests.
What are 4 major problems with the use of transgenic animals?
The inserted gene may code for more than one product.
Many transgenic animals have a low survival rate.
Many transgenic animals have breeding problems.
Mutagenesis and other functional disorders may arise due to the insertion of these genes.
What are 3 major environmental and ecological concerns about transgenic animals
The may outcompete the wild type population.
They may alter the natural ecosystem.
They may pass their altered genes on to other organisms in the wild.
What is the general consensus of releasing transgenic animals into the wild?
That transgenic animals should not be released until the genetic engineering approaches are proven.
What are the 3 main methods of producing transgenic animals?
The embryonic stem cell method.
The pronucleus method.
Retrovirus mediated gene transfer.
Wher are the stem cells that are used for the embryonic stem cell method collected from?
The inner cell mass of a blastocyst.
What is special about the embryonic stem cells that are used in the embryonic stem cell method?
They are pluripotent which means they can become any cell within the body.
What happens in the embryonic stem cell method after the embryonic stem cells have been isolated from the blastocyst?
They are then mixed with DNA that contains the gene of interest.
This allows for some of the stem cells to absorb the DNA and become transformed.