Genetic Engineering
- Created by: beth-marie2511
- Created on: 20-06-16 23:56
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- Gene Engineering
- Key Terms
- Restriction Enzymes
- Enzymes that cut DNA at a specific nucleotide sequence into smaller segments
- Vectors
- Genetic sequences derived from viruses or bacteria - used to move genes into the target cell
- DNA Ligase
- Anneals/joins sections of DNA together
- Reverse Transcriptase
- Enzyme which uses RNA as a template for forming a DNA molecule
- Marker Gene
- Enables the detection of a bacterium which has taken up a genetically modified plasmid
- Restriction Enzymes
- Uses
- Produced a variety of drugs and hormones for medical use
- Manipulating human genes to treat or cure genetic diseases and disorders
- Scope of recombinant DNA technology is not restricted to the field of medicine
- Used in agriculture
- Recombinant DNA Technology
- How new combinations of genetic material are produced by artificially copying a piece of DNA from one organism (donor) and joining (recombining) this copy with the circular DNA (plasmid) in a bacterium (host)
- Locates a specific gene in a donor cell
- Isolates the gene in a piece of donor DNA
- Modify the donor DNA in a highly selective way
- Transfers the modified donor DNA into host cells in such a way that the gene will be expressed strongly enough to be of practical use
- Advantages
- Disease could be prevented
- Infectious diseases can be treated by implanting genes that code for anti-viral proteins specific to each antigen
- Increases genetic diversity by producing more variant alleles
- Animals and plants can be made to have desirable characteristics
- E.G. Genes in trees could be manipulated to absorb more CO2
- Disadvantages
- Nature is an extremely complex inter-related chain consisting of many species linked to the food chain - introducing new genes may have an irreversible effect with unknown consequences
- Borders on many moral issues that questions whether humans have to right to manipulate genes
- Increases our reliance on pesticides that have harmful effect on the environment
- Resistant genes could enter other organism giving them resistance
- Key Terms
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