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Genetic Modification Notes

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13 views6 pages

Genetic Modification Notes

Uploaded by

JooSie241
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Cambridge O Level Biology Your notes

18.2 Genetic Modification


Contents
Genetic Modification

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Genetic Modification
Your notes
Genetic Modification: Definition
Genetic modification is changing the genetic material of an organism by removing, changing or
inserting individual genes from another organism
The organism receiving the genetic material is said to be ‘genetically modified’, or is described as a
‘transgenic organism’
The DNA of the organism that now contains DNA from another organism is known as ‘recombinant
DNA’

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Genetic Modification: Examples


There are many examples of genetically modified organisms, including: Your notes
Crop plants, such as wheat and maize, have been genetically modified to contain a gene from a
bacterium that produces a poison that kills insects, making them resistant to insect pests such as
caterpillars
Crop plants have also been genetically modified to make them resistant to certain herbicides
(chemicals that kill plants), meaning that when the herbicide is sprayed on the crop it only kills
weeds and does not affect the crop plant
Some crops have been genetically modified to produce additional vitamins, eg ‘golden rice’
contains genes from another plant and a bacterium which make the rice grains produce a chemical
that is turned into vitamin A in the human body, which could help prevent deficiency diseases in
certain areas of the world
The gene for human insulin has been inserted into bacteria which then produce human insulin
which can be collected and purified for medical use for diabetics

Genetic modification using bacterial production of a human protein


The gene that is to be inserted is located in the original organism (for example, this could be the gene
for human insulin)
Restriction enzymes are used to isolate the required gene, leaving it with ‘sticky ends’ (a short section
of unpaired bases)
A bacterial plasmid is cut by the same restriction enzyme leaving it with corresponding sticky ends
(plasmids are circles of DNA found inside bacterial cells)
Restriction Enzymes Cutting DNA

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Your notes

Restriction enzymes cut DNA strands at specific sequences to form ‘sticky ends’
The plasmid and the isolated gene are joined together by DNA ligase enzyme

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If two pieces of DNA have matching sticky ends (because they have been cut by the same restriction
enzyme), DNA ligase will link them to form a single, unbroken molecule of DNA
DNA Ligase and Plasmids Your notes

DNA ligase is used to join two separate pieces of DNA together


The genetically engineered plasmid is inserted into a bacterial cell
When the bacteria reproduce the plasmids are copied as well and so a recombinant plasmid can
quickly be spread as the bacteria multiply and they will then all express the gene and make the human

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protein
The genetically engineered bacteria can be placed in a fermenter to reproduce quickly in controlled
conditions and make large quantities of the human protein Your notes
Bacteria are extremely useful for genetic engineering purposes because:
They contain the same genetic code as the organisms we are taking the genes from, meaning they
can easily ‘read’ it and produce the same proteins
There are no ethical concerns over their manipulation and growth (unlike if animals were used, as
they can feel pain and distress)
The presence of plasmids in bacteria, separate from the main bacterial chromosome, makes them
easy to remove and manipulate to insert genes into them and then place back inside the bacterial
cells

Advantages & Risks of Genetic Modification


Advantages & Risks of Genetic Modification Table
Advantages Risks
Increased costs of seeds
Reduced use of chemicals such as herbicides Companies that make GM Seeds charge more for them
and pesticides is: better for the environment, to cover the cost of developing them. This can mean
cheaper and less time-consuming for farmers. smaller, poorer farmers cannot compete with larger
farms.

Increased dependency on certain chemicals, such as


Increased yields from the crops as they are not
the herbicides that crops are resistant to. These are
competing with weeds for resources or suffering
often made by the same companies that produce the
from pest damage.
seed and are more expensive to buy.
Risk of inserted genes being transferred to wild plants
Bacteria have a rapid reproduction rate and so
by pollination. This could reduce the usefulness of the
can produce large quantities of product in a
GM Crop (e.g. if weeds also gain the gene that makes
short space of time.
them resistant to herbicide).
Reduced biodiversity as there are fewer plant species
There is a lack of ethical concerns over the when herbicides have been used. This can impact
manipulation and growth of bacteria. insects and insect-eating birds.

Some research has shown that plants that have had


The genetic code in bacteria is shared with all
genes inserted into them do not grow as well as non-
other organisms.
GM plants.
Bacteria could pass human genes they carry to other
bacteria, resulting in unknown consequences.

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