Biotechnology

Biotechnology is the use of biological processes, organisms,

or systems to manufacture products intended to improve the

quality of human life.

• 4 Areas of Biotechnology

• Agriculture

• Industry

• Forensics

• Medicine

Genetic Engineering- (A.K.A. Recombinant DNA Technology)

frequency of an allele in a population

• *involves cutting (cleaving) DNA from one organism into small fragments & inserting the fragments into a host organism of the same or a different species

• AMAZING!!! Organism will use the foreign DNA as if it were its own!!

• Transgenic Organism- organisms that contain functional recombinant DNA (rDNA) from a different organism

How is a transgenic organism formed??

• Isolate foreign DNA fragment

• Attach DNA fragment to a “vehicle” (vector)

• Transfer “vehicle” (vector) into a host organism

Forming transgenic organisms and therefore clones of genes

Isolating foreign DNA fragments• -Restriction Enzymes- DNA cutting

enzymes that can cut both strands of a DNA molecule at a specific base pair sequence (A-T, C-G)

• -similar to cutting a zipper into pieces

• -must find the same sequence of base pairs on both DNA strands but they must run in opposite directions

• (like a palindrome-words that read the same forwards and backwards)

• ex. Racecar, mom, dad, etc.

Action of Restriction Enzymes

Isolating DNA fragments

• -when the DNA is cut, double-stranded fragments with single-stranded ends are formed (called “sticky ends”)

• -2 matching sticky ends join together

Sticky ends

Vectors transfer DNA

• Vector-means by which DNA from another species can be carried into the host cell

• Mechanical Vectors

• Micropipette-inserts into a cell

• Gene guns- tiny metal bullet is coated with DNA and shot into the cell with a gene gun

More types of Vectors• Biological Vectors• Viruses• Plasmids-small ring of DNA found in bacteria

cells that is separate from the bacteria’s normal set of DNA

• Plasmid usually contains genes that may cause the bacteria to be resistant to certain antibiotics

Gene Splicing/Cloning using a bacterial plasmid

• After the foreign DNA has been spliced (glued) into the plasmid using an enzyme DNA ligase, the rDNA is transferred into a bacterial cell

• -IMPORTANT plasmid replicates separately from the bacterial chromosome & can produce up to 500 copies per bacterial cell

• -bacteria reproduce quickly (20 min) so a lot of rDNA is made very fast

• Clone- genetically identical copies of rDNA molecules

• -Host cell produces the protein coded for by the rDNA

Applications of DNA technology• rDNA in Industry • 1. genetically engineered bacteria can degrade oil faster than naturally occurring bacteria (clean oil spills)• 2. remove sulfur from coal before it is burned• 3. produce phenylalanine to produce aspartame (main ingredient in Nutrasweet)

• rDNA in industry

• 4. biofilters to degrade chemicals that

might escape into the air from factories

• 5. transgenic animals- animal eggs can

take up the gene for bovine growth

hormone (BGH)-used to make larger

fish, cows, pigs, rabbits, sheep

rDNA in Medicine

• 1. Human growth hormone to treat

dwarfism

• 2. Human gene for insulin is inserted into

a bacterial plasmid and the rDNA

bacteria can make mass amounts of

insulin very quickly to help diabetes

patients

rDNA in Medicine• 3. Gene pharming- use of transgenic farm animals to produce pharmaceuticals ex. Genes that code for therapeutic proteins are incorporated into the animal’s DNA & the proteins appear inthe animal’s milk

Transgenic Animals

Cloning a gene

rDNA in Medicine

• -drugs are made for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, cancer, blood diseases by this technique

• ex. Antithrombin III, used to prevent blood clots during surgery is currently made by a herd of goats

Cloning an animal

rDNA in Agriculture• 1. bacteria that normally live on

strawberry plants cause frost damage

to leaves/fruits b/c ice crystals form

around a protein on the surface of each

bacteria. Now the bacteria have been

engineered to remove the gene for this

protein & after rDNA is inserted the

bacteria change from frost + to frost –

GMO’s-genetically modified organism

• Grapples- cross -Pluots- cross b/w plum

b/w apple & apricot

and grape

rDNA in Agriculture• 2. bacteria that live on the roots of corn

plants have been given the gene that

produces insect toxin. The toxin

protects the roots from insects.

• 3. Possibly engineer bacteria that live in

soil to make more nitrogen (natural

fertilizer) so farmers can cut back costs

on fertilizers.

Plants have been genetically modified to produce insect toxin

Gene Therapy• Gene therapy attempts to treat genetic diseases

at the molecular level by correcting what is wrong with defective genes.

• Clinical research into gene therapy’s safety and effectiveness has just begun.

• No one knows if gene therapy will work, or for what diseases. If gene therapy is successful, it could work by preventing a protein from doing something that causes harm, restoring the normal function of a protein, giving proteins new functions, or enhancing the existing functions of proteins

Gene Therapy

• In vivo gene therapy requires that the gene transfer vector be delivered by direct tissue injection.

• 2) Ex-vivo gene therapy involves removing tissue from the patient, transfecting (or virally-infecting) the cells in culture, and then reimplanting the genetically altered cells to the patient.

Ex vivo gene therapy

In Vivo Gene Therapy