Student Exploration: Genetic Engineering

Many farmers use chemical herbicides to kill weeds and insecticides to kill
insects. Using genetic engineering, scientists have developed ways to
resist harmful crop pests. In the Genetic Engineering Gizmo, you will use
genetic engineering techniques to create genetically modified corn.

Answer the questions below in red.

1. Check that Task 1 is selected. The Gizmo shows petri dishes that contain different strains of bacteria
(white dots) and caterpillars (Lepidoptera sp. larvae). In the first challenge, your goal is to find bacteria
that produce toxins that kill the caterpillars. Click Play ( ). What do you observe?

2. Which strains of bacteria (based on the numbers on the petri dishes) were able to kill Lepidoptera sp.
larvae? Were some more effective than others?

3. Some bacteria are able to produce a toxin that kills Lepidoptera sp. larvae. Select one of the strains of
bacteria harmful to larvae (by clicking on the plate).

Which strain did you select?

4. Investigate: Click Continue. The screen now shows the genome, or set of genes, of the selected
bacteria. One of these genes produces the protein that kills the caterpillars. You will test each gene by
adding it to the genome of a bacteria that does not kill caterpillars. This process is called
transformation.

Drag one gene into each of the Petri dishes at lower right (only 1 gene per plate, but pick 3 different
genes to test). These genes are now inserted into the genomes of the sensitive bacteria in the plates.
Press Play. If none of those genes help to kill the caterpillars, click Reset and try three other genes.
When you find a gene that kills the caterpillars, click on the Petri dish to select the gene that confers
resistance.

Which gene did you select?

In reality, finding a gene with a desired trait is very time consuming. Scientists search through many
bacterial strains and potential genes to find the traits they are looking for.

5. Click Continue. Promoters are regions of DNA that initiate the transcription of a gene. Some
promoters only work in specific types of cells, such as leaf cells or root cells.

To determine which cells of a corn plant a promoter works in, four promoters have been attached to
the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) gene. Each promoter-GFP gene has been inserted into a corn
plant. Select Lights off to see the parts of each plant glow green and fill in the table below.

Promoter Glowing plant part(s) Gene Glowing plant part(s)

1 3
2 4

Which promoter is active in only the leaves? In the whole plant?

 Select the promoter you would like to use by clicking on a plant, and then click Continue. Which
promoter did you choose?

6. The resistance gene that was chosen in step 2 was attached to the promoter chosen in step 3, and the
new DNA was inserted into five calluses. A callus is a group of cells that will incorporate the new gene
into their genome and grow into a mature corn plant.

In each genome, genes are shown as green bars. Each gene contains light green exons, or sections
that code for proteins, and medium green introns, which do not code for proteins. The dark green bars
represent promoters and the red bars represent gene termination sites.

Use the left and right arrow buttons to observe where the new gene (blue bar) was inserted into each
of the corn calluses genomes. Problems can occur if the new gene is inserted into the middle of an
existing corn gene (green bar).

In which calluses did the new gene insert inside an existing corn gene?

Select one of the corn calluses that do not disrupt an existing corn gene and click Continue. Which
callus did you select?

7. On the left is a control plant that does not contain any new genes. On the right is the transformed plant
you created. Click Play. When the plant has finished growing, click on each of the circles to observe
the leaves, cobs, and roots of each plant.

A. Did the transformed plant grow into a healthy mature plant?

If not, you may have chosen a bad callus. (Click Back to try a different callus.)

B. Click Reset and select Add Lepidoptera sp. larvae for each plant. Click Play. What do you
observe?

C. Compare the up-close views. How do the roots, leaves, and cobs compare?

D. Select Show statistics. How did the results for the transformed plant differ from the control
plant?

E. Click Submit for review. Was your plant resistant to Lepidoptera?

If not, click Back or Start again. Be sure to choose genes that kill bacteria and a promoter that
protects the corn cobs, leaves, and stalks.

8. Click Task 2 from the drop down menu at the top left. For task 2 we are looking at a new plant pest.
What part of the plant does this beetle feed on (read!)?

9. Using the Gizmo, select a bacterial strain that kills Coleoptera and determine the gene that will be
used to develop resistance in the corn. Which choices did you make?

Bacterial strain: Gene:

10. Click Continue to move on to the “Choose promoter” step. Turn the room lights off. Beetle larvae
attack the roots of corn plants. Which 2 promoters could you use to express the necessary gene in the
correct part of the plant?

11. Synthesizing proteins requires energy from the plant. Expressing proteins that are not needed for
survival, can detract from the ability of plants to grow. Based on this, which promoter will be the best
for protecting the plant from the beetle without utilizing too much extra energy?

Select this promoter and click Continue.

12. Select a corn callus that you think will work and click Continue. On the next screen, add Coleoptera
sp. larvae to each plant and click Play.

A. Describe the control plant and the transformed plant:

B. Select Show statistics and Submit for review. Is the experimental plant resistant to
Coleoptera sp. larvae? __________ If not, go back through the previous steps and make sure
you have chosen the correct gene, promoter, and callus. Make sure you have check marks
next to both task 1 and task 2 in the submit for review report before you move on.

13. Click Back and select a corn callus in which the new gene (blue bar) is inserted in the middle of an
existing gene (green bar).

A. Click Continue. Grow the experimental plant with and without larvae. What do you observe?

B. Click Back and choose another callus in which an existing gene is disrupted. What do you
observe?

14. Click Start again. This time, choose a bacterial strain in step 1 that only kills some of the larvae.
Continue to identify the gene responsible. Is it the same gene as from question 9?

15. Continue through the rest of the experiment to the final test. Click on show statistics and look at the
graphs. How does this plant compare to the plant you created before?

Select Task 3 from the drop down menu at the top. Weeds are wild plants that compete with crops for
resources. Farmers kill weeds using herbicides, but corn plants may also be damaged by herbicides.
Herbicides affect the roots, stalks, leaves, and cobs of corn plants.

16. Bacterial colonies are being grown in Petri dishes. The white disks on each dish have been soaked in
an herbicide. Click Play. Describe what happens to the bacteria in the Petri dishes.
 Which strains of bacteria are not affected by the herbicide?

17. Choose a bacterial strain that is resistant to herbicide, find the gene that is responsible for the
resistance, choose a promoter, and transform a corn plant. Observe the control and experimental
plants in the presence and absence of herbicide.

When you have successfully created an herbicide-resistant plant, fill in your choices below.

A. Which bacterial strain did you choose?

Which gene did you choose?
Which promoter did you choose?
Which callus did you choose?

B. Select Show statistics. How do the results from the transformed plant differ from the control
plant?

18. Experiment: Go back two steps and experiment with different promoters. Can any of the other
promoters be used to create a resistant corn plant?
Why or why not?