Genetic Engineering

• Genetic engineering: Changing the DNA in

living organisms to create something new.

• This organisms are called Genetically

Modified Organism (GMO)

• Example:
• Bacteria that produce human insulin

• Genetically Modified organism are called

transgenic organism; since genes are
transferred from one organism to another.
Some genetic engineering techniques are
as follows:
1. Artificial selection
A. selective breeding
B. hybridization
C. inbreeding

2. Cloning
3. Gene splicing
4. Gel electrophoresis: analyzing DNA
1. artificial selection: breeders choose which
organism to mate to produce offspring with
desired traits.

• They cannot control what genes are passed.

• When they get offspring with the desired traits,
they maintain them.

Three types of artificial selection:

A. selective breeding
B. hybridization
C. inbreeding
A. Selective breeding: when animals with
desired characteristics are mated to
produce offspring with those desired traits.
• Passing of important genes to next
generation.
• Example: Champion race horses, cows
with tender meat, large juicy oranges on a
tree.
• Examples of
selective breeding:

• Angus cows are bred to

increase muscle mass so
that we get more meat,

• Egg-Laying Hen-
produces more eggs
than the average hen
• B. Hybridizations: two
individuals with unlike
characteristics are crossed to
produce the best in both
organisms.
Other Examples of hybridization:
1. Liger: lion and tiger mix
2. Grape + apple= grapple. The fruit
tastes like grapes and looks like apple.
C. Inbreeding breeding of organism that
genetically similar to maintain desired traits.
• Dogs breeds are kept pure this way.
• Its how a Doberman remains a Doberman.
• It keeps each breed unique from others.
• Risk: since both have the same genes, the
chance that a baby will get a recessive genetic
disorder is high.
• Risks: blindness, joint deformities.
2. Cloning: creating an organism that is an
exact genetic copy of another.
• identical twins are naturally created
clones.
• Clone: group of cells or organisms that
are genetically identical as a result of
asexual reproduction
• They will have the same exact DNA as the
parent.
 Dolly:
• Dolly was the first
mammal cloned.
• She had the same exact
DNA as her mother and
had no father.
• Cloning is a form of
asexual reproduction.
• Only one genetic parent.

http://content.tutorvista.com/biology_11/content/media/cloning.swf
CLONING PROCESS
How is cloning done?
► A single cell is removed from a parent
organism.
► An entire individual is grown from that
cell.
► Remember one cell has all the DNA
needed to make an entire organism.
► Each cell in the body has the same DNA,
but cells vary because different genes
are turned on in each cell.
Benefits of cloning:
1. you can make exact
copies of organisms
with strong traits.
2. Increase food supply
3. Medical purposes: Saber Tooth Tiger extinct
clone organs for
transplants.
4. Bring back or Stop
species from going
extinct.
Risks of cloning:
1. Decreases genetic
diversity
2. If one of your clones
gets a disease, they all
get it: same immune
system.
3. Inefficient: high failure
rate: 90%+
4. Expensive
3. Gene splicing: DNA is cut
out of one organism and put
into another organism
• A trait will be transferred from
one organism to another.
• For example: the human
insulin gene can be removed
from a human cell.
• It can be put into a bacterial
cell.
• The bacterial will now make
human insulin.
• This picture represents gene splicing.
• However, DNA is much smaller.
• Its done with high tech lab equipment since
DNA, is too small to hold or see without a
microscope.
The red piece the woman
is holding is an insulin
gene from a human
being. It is being
combined with DNA from
a bacteria.

Creates recombinant
DNA, something that has
never existed before.
Benefits:
• insulin is cheaper
• There are no side
effects because it
is human insulin.
• We once used pig
insulin but there
are side effects
and it more
expensive.
• The organisms that have DNA transferred to
them are called transgenic organisms.

trans: means different,

genic: refers to genes

• Genetic engineering has given rise to a new

technological field called biotechnology
(technology of life).
1. Transgenic (GMO) animals: genes
inserted into animals so they produce what
humans need.
Why?: A way to improve the food supply:
A. Transgenic cows: gene inserted to
increase milk production.
B. Spider goat: gene from spider inserted
into goat.
• Goats makes silk of the spider web in their
milk.
• Flexible, stronger than steel. Used in
bullet proof jackets.
C. Glow-in-the-dark
cats
• Scientist used a
virus to insert DNA
from jellyfish
• The gene made the
cat produce a
fluorescent protein
in its fur.
2. Transgenic bacteria: gene inserted
into bacteria so they produce things
humans need.
• For example: insulin and clotting factors
in blood are now made by bacteria.
3. Transgenic plants: plants are given
genes so they meet human needs.

A. Transgenic corn: given a gene so corn

produces a natural pesticide.
Now they don’t have to be sprayed with
cancer causing pesticides.
• 25% of all corn is like this.
B. Venomous cabbage
• gene from a scorpion tails
inserted into cabbage.
• Cabbage now produces
that chemical.
• Why? Limit pesticide use
while still preventing
insects from damaging
crops.
• Corporations state the
toxin is modified so it isn’t
harmful to humans.
C. Banana vaccines
• virus is injected into a banana,
the virus DNA becomes part of
the plant.
• As the plant grows, it produces
the virus proteins — but not the
disease part of the virus.

• When people eat a bite, their

immune systems creates
antibodies to fight the disease —
just like a traditional vaccine

• Vaccines for hepatitis and

cholera
• Gene therapy: when disease causing
genes are cut out and good gene are
inserted.
• Restriction enzymes are used to cut out
bad genes.
• Viruses are used to insert good genes.
• Not approved for human use yet.
• Some possible side effects.
4. Gel electrophoresis: a
technique used to compare
DNA from two or more
organisms.

Why compare DNA:

1. Find your baby’s daddy
2. Who committed a crime.
3. How closely species are
related.
 Separation of DNA based on
size of fragments.

• Electrophoresis
results

Final result of electrophoresis

electrophoresis
• Genetic engineering creates organisms with
recombinant DNA.
• Recombinant DNA: when DNA is combined
from at least two organisms.

Which techniques create recombinant DNA

1. Sexual reproduction: natural
2. selective breeding
3. Hybridization
4. Gene splicing
• Does cloning create organisms with
recombinant DNA?
• No, the DNA from one organism is
copied.
• DNA is not recombined.
Complete the Table Below.

Advantages of Genetic Disadvantages of Genetic

Engineering Engineering
Essay Question: Choose one question
and answer briefly.

1. Would you want to find out if you carried a

gene for an incurable disease? Why or why
not?
2. What might be the negative result of
growing crop that is genetically engineered
to resist weed killers?
3. How are bacteria used in genetic
engineering to produce medicine for people?
 Rubrics:
(5 points) Exceptional – student responses far exceed what
is expected
(4 points) Excellent – information is factually accurate and
offers extra supporting facts.
(3 points) Good – The student somewhat responds beyond
the basic level of the question to provide supporting details
and or interpretation.
(2 points) Fair – student responses, although somewhat
correct, are lacking in relevant details and supporting
examples and or interpretation.
(1 point) Not Mastered - student responses are largely
incorrect.
 ASSIGNMENT:
Research on the role of bacteria
in the production of cheese,
pickles and some other foods.