CHAPTER 13
GENETIC
TECHNOLOGY
13.1 GENETIC ENGINEERING
What is Genetic Engineering?
Process of using recombinant DNA technology to
alter the genetic make-up of an organism
Involves direct manipulation of one or more genes
and alteration of the genetic material (DNA or RNA)
of an organism to create new combination of genes
Transfer of a gene or genes on the DNA molecule
from one living organism onto DNA molecule of
another organism – recombinant DNA technology
Genetic Engineering involves
Transfer of genes from one organism to
01 another to produce transgenic organism
Removal or multiplication of genes within a
02 living organism
Modification of existing genes or the
03 construction of new ones and the
incorporation of these genes into a new
organism
When a DNA carries a foreign gene or a DNA fragment
from another source, it is known as a recombinant DNA
(rDNA)
Genetically modified organisms or GMOs are transgenic organisms that have acquired by
artificial means , one or more genes from another species or another variety of the same species
APPLICATION
OF GENETIC
ENGINEERING
Production of GMOs and genetically
modified foods (GMF)
GMF are derived from organisms
whose DNA has been modified
genetically in a way that does not
occur naturally
GMF are food products containg a
quantity of any genetically modified
organism (GMO) as an ingredient
Transgenic Plants
Transgenic plants are genetically engineered plants from
recombinant DNA technique which produces plants with
new characteristics
● Improved capability to grow in adverse conditions
● Greater resistance to spoilage, diseases and drought
● Additional values such as longer shelf life, improved
flavour, nutritional value
● Increased immunity to certain pests and herbicides
● Crops that mature faster and are able to tolerate toxic
minerals and other environmental stress
● Delayed ripening
GMF From genetically modified plants
Genetically
Advantages Examples of plants
Engineered Traits
Resistance towards Crop plants are not killed by herbicides which are Corn, potatoes, rice, soya
herbicides targeted at weeds only. Thus, higher crops can be yield beans, tomatoes
Resistance towards • Crop plants become more resistant to pests Corn, potatoes, cotton
pests • A gene that coded for Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin plants
which protect plants from pests has been
incorporated into the genome of several crop plants
GMF From genetically modified plants
Genetically
Advantages Examples of plants
Engineered Traits
Resistance to Crops are less prone to diseases cause by bacteria, Papaya , potatoes
diseases viruses or fungi, thereby increasing crop yields
Resistance to high Insertion of salinity resistance gene from a coastal Paddy plants
salinity mangrove species into some varieties of rice enables
them to grow in water three times as salty as seawater
GMF From genetically modified plants
Genetically
Advantages Examples of plants
Engineered Traits
Ability to grow in cold A gene which enables Arabidopsis sp. Plant to tolerate potatoes
weather freezing condition is inserted into potatoes genome
Improved nutritional Golden rice is engineered from a variety of rice to Paddy plants
value produce and store beta-carotene in the endosperm.
GMF From genetically modified plants
Genetically
Advantages Examples of plants
Engineered Traits
Delayed ripening Foods can be readily marketed in good conditions tomatoes
Altered oil content in Plant oils are made healthier for human consumption. Soya beans and canola
crop plants GM soybeans have higher oleic acid and stearic acid
contents
Disadvantages of GMF Advantages of GMF
o Overcome food shortage of the world
o Risk of side effects on human health population
o Possibility of foreign genes from o Reduced usage of pesticides
GMF o Increase in food production at lower
o Example : Antibiotic-resistance gene costs
transferred to humans
Transgenic
Animals
The goals of creating transgenic animals :
• Produce livestock that mature faster
• To make sheep with better quality wool
• To make cattle with larger muscles or cows that
produce more milk
EXAMPLES OF TRANSGENIC ANIMALS
Tilapia fish with greater growth rate and ability to
produce blood clotting factors
Cows that are able to produce a natural protein
which kills disease-causing bacteria and secrete
lactoferrin , making cow’s milk more suitable for
human babies
Super salmon – a growth hormone gene from
Chinook salmon and a gene promoter from ocean
trout are microinjected into fertilised eggs of wild
Atlantic salmon.
MARS VENUS
Mars is actually a very Venus has extremely
cold place high temperatures
JUPITER SATURN
Jupiter is the biggest Saturn is a gas giant and
planet of them all has several rings
PRODUCTION OF INSULIN
• Previously, insulin was obtained from animals and
often produced side effects such as allergies in users
• Now, insulin is obtained from genetically engineered
bacteria
DNA cloning technique is used to
make multiple copies of recombinant
DNA carrying the human insulin gene
Cloning vector is usually a circular
piece of DNA called plasmid
obtained from bacteria
Cost effective way of producing
large quantities of insulin
DNA CLONING TECHNIQUE :
TO MULTIPLY THE INSULIN
GENE
ADVANTAGES OF
GENETIC
ENGINEERING
• Enables the mass production of
various types of products through
the development of new strains of
crops and livestock
• GM crops enable better growth,
nutritional content, pest and
herbicide resistance and ease of
farming
• Accelerates the process by which food acquire specific desirable traits
• New varieties of crops and livestock ensure the food sources are readily
available at a cheaper costs
DISADVANTAGES OF
GENETIC ENGINEERING
• Safety of the products. For
example, the introduction of
foreign genes in microorganisms
may result in the creation of
harmful pathogens
• Accidental release of genetically
modified microorganisms into the
environment may alter natural
ecology
• Genetic modification often mixes or adds proteins that are not indigenous
to the original plant, causing new allergic reactions in the human body
• Genetic engineering can lead to an ecological disaster. New species of
crops and livestock that are being produced commercially may cause the
original species become extinct
Genetic engineering
is not the same as
cloning
Cloning Genetic engineering
• Produces exact copies of Produces a totally unique set
cloned genes of genes
• Genes replicate within the Genes can be swapped
same species across species
12.2 BIOTECHNOLOGY
Biotechnology is the manipulation or application of organisms and their
components to make useful products in various fields
Biotechnology
Can be divided into five main fields
1. Animal (Red) Biotechnology
2. Medical Biotechnology
3. Industrial Biotechnology
4. Environmental Biotechnology
5. Plant (Green) Biotechnology
Field of Biotechnology Examples
Animal (Red) • Development of transgenic animals for increased milk or meat
Biotechnology production with resistance to diseases
• Involves in vitro fertilisation of eggs and transfer of embryos to the
wombs of female animals for further development
Field of Biotechnology Examples
Animal (Red) • Development of transgenic animals for increased milk or meat
Biotechnology production with resistance to diseases
• Involves in vitro fertilisation of eggs and transfer of embryos to the
wombs of female animals for further development
Field of Biotechnology Examples
Blue Biotechnology • Application of science and technology to living aquatics organisms for
the production of knowledge good and services
Field of Biotechnology Examples
Industrial Biotechnology • Commercial production of various useful organic substance such as
citric acid, acetone and glycerine ; antibiotics like penicillin and
streptomycin , through the use of microorganisms especially fungi and
bacteria
Field of Biotechnology Examples
Environmental • Detoxification of waste and industrial effluents , treatments of sewage
Biotechnology water and control of plant diseases and insects through the use of
biological agents such as viruses , bacteria and fungi
• Conversion of renewable resources such as cellulose , starch and
vegetable oil into useful biotechnological products
Field of Biotechnology Examples
Plant (Green) • Development of transgenic plants with resistance to biotic and abiotic
Biotechnology stresses
● Bioinformatics (or "gold biotechnology") is an
interdisciplinary field that addresses biological problems
using computational techniques, and makes the rapid
organization as well as analysis of biological data possible
.
● Dark biotechnology is the color associated with
bioterrorism or biological weapons and biowarfare which
uses microorganisms, and toxins to cause diseases and
death in humans, livestock and crops
APPLICATION OF
BIOTECHNOLOGY IN DAILY
LIFE
A defective gene results from an incorrect sequence of nucleotide
bases in the DNA molecule or the inability of a gene to code for the
synthesis of a particular protein which is vital for normal cellular functions
A normal allele of the defective gen is inserted into the somatic cells of
tissues affected by disorder.
Somatic cells that receive the allele must be cells that multiply through
the patients life.
Gene therapy holds promise for treating a wide range of diseases such
as cancer, cystic fibrosis, heart diseases, diabetes, haemophilia,
muscular dystrophy and AIDS
SICKEL-CELL ANEMIA
Results from a single gene mutation that
causes a person’s red blood cells to
form abnormal, sickle shape.
The abnormal nucleotide present in both
alleles of the haemoglobin gene results
in the substitution of a single amino acid
in the haemoglobin molecule
CRISPR Clustered Regularly Interspaced
Short Palindromic Repeats
It is a component of bacterial immune systems that can cut DNA, and
has been repurposed as a gene editing tool.
It acts as a precise pair of molecular scissors that can cut a target DNA
sequence, directed by a customizable guide.
DNA PROFILING
DNA profiling is a forensic technique in
criminal investigation by comparing
criminal suspects DNA profiles to DNA
evidence at crime scenes
DNA from tissue samples of hair, saliva
blood or semen found in crime scene
can be compared to those suspects
DNA PROFILING
DNA profiles can be used for :
- Determine whether an individual is the biological
parents for another individuals
- To screen for genetic disorders and track gene
responsible for causing certain diseases
- To test compatibility between potential organ donors
and recipients
- To identify victims of a disaster involving mass
casualties
- To identify criminals
Production of herbicide-tolerant or insect-resistant
plants
● Useful traits such as herbicide or pest
resistance are determined by one or a few
genes
● Crops engineered with a bacterial gene which
makes the plant resistant to herbicdes
ICON PACK
ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES
Here’s an assortment of alternative resources whose style fits the one of this template:
VECTORS
● Isometric genetic engineering set with scientific lab tests and experiment symbols isolated vector i
llustration
