GENETIC

ENGINEERING
GENETIC ENGINEERING
▪ 6.1 describe how genetic engineering can be used to change the traits of an organism;
▪ Changing the traits of one organism by inserting genetic material from a different organism.
▪ Include food production and medical treatment. For example, insulin production and
incorporation of beta carotene producing gene in rice for areas that are affected by night
blindness.
▪ Biotechnology
GENETIC ENGINEERING
▪ 6.1 describe how genetic engineering can be used to change the traits of an organism;
▪ Genetic engineering involves changing the traits of one organism by inserting genetic
material form a different organism into its DNA.
▪ The organisms receiving the DNA is called a transgenic organism or a genetically
modified organism(GMO)
GENETIC ENGINEERING
▪ 1.Genetic engineering is used to : Protect agricultural crops against environmental threats, e.g.
pathogens, pest , herbicides and low temperatures.
▪ 2. Modify the quality of a product , e.g. increasing nutritional value
▪ 3. make organisms produce materials that they do not usually produce, e.g. produce vaccines
and drugs
▪ 4. Improve yields, e.g. increasing size or growth rate or making organisms more hardy.
What is genetic engineering?
GENETIC ENGINEERING
▪ In genetic engineering two special enzyme are used:
▪ Restriction enzyme- Use to cut the DNA _ compare to scissor
▪ DNA ligase – use to join two pieces of DNA together- compare to a glue
Insulin
Production
HOW BACTERIA WAS
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED TO
PRODUCE HUMAN INSULIN.
▪ 1. Human cells with genes for healthy insulin are selected.
▪ 2. A chromosome (a length of DNA) is removed from the cell.
▪ 3.The insulin gene is cut from the chromosome using restriction endonuclease /enzyme.
▪ Nb. Endo-nuclease – Cuts the inside of nucleic acid
▪ 4. A suitable bacterial cell is selected. Some of its DNA is in the form of circular plasmids.
▪ 5.All the plasmids are removed from the bacterial cell.
HOW BACTERIA WAS
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED TO
PRODUCE HUMAN INSULIN.
▪ 6. The plasmids are cut open using the same restriction endonuclease enzyme.
▪ 7. The human insulin gene is inserted into the plasmids using ligase enzyme.
▪ 8. The plasmid are returned to the bacterial cell (only one is shone in the diagram).
▪ 9.The bacterial cell is allowed to reproduce in a fermenter. All the cells produced contain
plasmids with the human insulin gene.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS
PROCESS
▪ 1.Diabetics need a source of insulin to control their blood sugar level. In the past cow and pigs
insulin was used, but some people are allergic to it. Human insulin produced from genetically
engineered bacteria will not trigger an allergic reaction.
▪ 2. The insulin is acceptable to people with a range of religious belief who may not be allowed
to use insulin form animals such as cows or pigs.
▪ 3. The product is very pure.
▪ 4. Human insulin can be made on a commercial scale, reducing costs.
Hepatitis B
Vaccine
NOTE
▪ -A gene is defined as a length of DNA that codes for a particular protein or polypeptide, such
as an enzyme. It is the smallest unit of inheritance in any organism. Genes are used to store
information about the species and the individual.
▪ - Genes encode the instructions that define our traits. We all have thousands of genes found in
chromosomes. (Humans have approximately 35,000 genes)
▪ -DNA carries genes in a linear sequence as short sections of a DNA molecule are referred to as
genes
GENETIC ENGINEERING
▪ -Genetic engineering involves the transfer of genes from one organism to an unrelated species.
For example gene from cold tolerant fish used to engineer strawberries to make them resistant
to freezing.
▪ -Human genes are transferred to bacteria, then, the human DNA in the plasmids of bacteria
will continue to produce the same protein as it did in the human cells. The bacteria reproduce
by mitosis and since the daughter bacteria contain the same DNA and the same plasmids, these
offspring, therefore, form a clone.
 APPLICATION OF GENETIC
ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE
▪ Genetic engineering in Agriculture
▪ 1. Creation disease resistant crops
▪ Creation of pest resistant crops -The Organic Insecticide Bacillus thuringeinesis
▪ 2. Bacillus thuringeinesis (Bt) is a bacterium that produces protein crystals that are toxic to
many insect species that feed on plants. Insects that have eaten Bt toxin stop feeding on the
plants within a few hours.
▪ 3. Animals have been engineered to produce more milk
▪ 4. Breeding with increased yield while reducing the use of pesticides.
▪ 5. Producing drought tolerant plant
▪ 6. Producing saline /salt tolerant plant
▪ 7. Producing crop with increased shelf life. The first GM crop to be introduced into the
market was the FlavrSavr Tomato produced in 1994.
Insect resistant
Tomato Plant
GENETIC ENGINEERING AND
FOOD PRODUCTION
▪ Genetic engineering is used to improve food production.
▪ E.g.
▪ Golden rice –rice produce beta carotene which the body converts to vitamin A
▪ Roundup resistant crops- plants are resistant to the herbicide called Roundup
▪ Bt- corn, cotton , soya- contain gene from a soil bacteria that make the plant produce a toxin
that kills caterpillar
▪ Bovine somatotropin (BST) hormone – from cattle in bacteria, the bacterium makes the
hormone which is then injected into cattle in increase milk and meat production.
Production of
Chymosin
 APPLICATION OF GENETIC
ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE
▪ 1. production of human Insulin to treat diabetes
▪ 2. production of edible vaccines
▪ 3. production of human growth hormone (HGH) is used to treat growth disorders in children
▪ 4. Production of antibiotics genetically engineered fungi
▪ 5. Production of vaccines e.g. vaccine for HPV
ADVANTAGES OF GENETIC
ENGINEERING
▪ In the field of medicine:
▪ 1. Production of human insulin which is safer as does not causes severe allergic
reactions caused by the insulin produced from pig’s pancreas.
▪ 2. Production of vaccines by transferring antigen coding genes to disease causing
bacteria.
▪ 3. Production of enzymes like urikinase, which is used to dissolve blood clots, has
been produced by genetically engineered microorganisms.
▪ 4. Potential use in gene therapy where the defected gene could be replaced by normal
one preventing or treating hereditary conditions like haemophilia etc.
ADVANTAGES OF GENETIC
ENGINEERING
▪ 5. Increased yields ,reduce food shortages
▪ 6. The nutritional value of food can be increased
▪ 7. Lower the need for chemical pesticides by growing engineered crops resistant to pests.
▪ . Produce vaccines that are safer than vaccines that containg leive or weakened pathogen.
▪
ADVANTAGES OF GENETIC
ENGINEERING
▪ IV. Industrial purpose productions of chemical compounds for commercial use, improvement
of fermentation or other industrial processes.
POSSIBLE DISADVANTAGES OF
GENETIC ENGINEERING
▪ 1. Destruction of native species in the environment the genetically modified species
are introduced in.
▪ 2. Resistant plants can theoretically give rise to resistant weeds which can be difficult
to control.(super weeds)
▪ 3. Cross contamination and transfer of DNA between organisms.
▪ 4. The recombinant organisms are population of clones, vulnerable in exact same
ways. A single disease or pest can wipe out the entire population quickly.
▪ 5. Creation of superbug?
▪ 6. Ethical concern about humans trying to play God and mess with the nature’s way
of selection. It is exaggerated by the fear of unknown of what all can be created using the
technology and how is it going to impact the civilisation.
POSSIBLE DISADVANTAGES
OF GENETIC ENGINEERING
▪ 1. The number of allergens in food could increase
▪ 2. Unknown health risk may occur form eating GMO]
▪ 3. Once a GMO is released into the environment, it cannot be contained or recalled
 GENE THERAPY
▪ Gene therapy: the technique experimental and is used to cure genetic diseases by replacing mutant
or faulty genes with good functioning gene.

▪ Gene therapy is a genetic engineering technique that may one day be used to cure certain genetic
diseases. In its simplest form, it involves the introduction of a non-mutated gene at a random
location in the genome to cure a disease by replacing a protein that may be absent in these
individuals because of a genetic mutation.
▪ By inserting a functional gene into cells to replace a faulty gene that causes a disease
▪ By turning off a defective gene that cause a disease
DNA FINGERPRINTING
▪ DNA fingerprinting is a method of identification that compares fragments of DNA. With the
exception of identical siblings; the DNA of each person is unique. The It is a method for
identifying individual by their unique pattern of DNA banding
▪ Used for:
▪ 1. Identification of individuals
▪ 2. Identification of parentage
▪ 3. Crime scene application
DNA FINGERPRINTING
STEPS IN DNA
FINGERPRINTING
▪ Small samples of DNA can be obtained from blood, hair, skin or semen
▪ Make millions of copies of the DNA using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) – works like
DNA replication but outside of cells.
▪ Cut DNA with restriction enzymes
▪ Separate DNA fragments using gel electrophoresis
▪ The DNA fragments are carefully injected into wells a gel. The gel is placed in a solution and
an electric field is applied making one end of the gel positive and the other end negative. The
negatively charged DAN fragments move toward the positive end. The smaller the fragment,
the faster it will move through the gel. The smallest fragments move the farthest from the
well.
▪ Compare – do the DNA fragments match?
 ▪ Which suspect, A, B or C, is most likely to
QUESTIONS have been the burglar? [1 mark]

▪A burglar broke into a house. The

burglar cut his hand on some
broken glass. Scientists extracted
DNA from the blood on the broken
glass. The scientists analysed the
DNA from the glass and DNA from
three suspects, A, B and C. The
scientists used a method called
DNA fingerprinting. Figure 5
shows the scientists’ results.
QUESTIONS
▪ DNA fingerprinting can be used to identify
▪ 7 (a) only half the bars of the child’s
people. One example of the use of DNA
fingerprinting is to find out which man is the
father of a child. The diagram shows the DNA DNA fingerprint match the mother’s
fingerprints of a child, the child’s mother and DNA fingerprint. Explain why (2
two men who claim to be the child’s father. marks)
The numbers refer to the bars on the DNA
fingerprints

▪ 7 (b) which man, A or B, is more

likely to be the father of the child? Use
the numbers on the DNA fingerprints
to explain your choice. In your answer
you should refer to all four people.