Biotechnology

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Biotechnology

• Making the products you buy. . .
• better?

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Historical Technologies Applied Genetics

• Manipulation of the hereditary characteristics of
  an organism to improve or create specific traits
  in offspring
• e.g., selective breeding, hybridization

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Historical Technologies Applied Genetics

• Selective breeding ? Allowing only those
  individuals with the desired traits to reproduce

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Historical Technologies Applied Genetics

• Hybridization ? crossing different individuals to
  bring together the best traits of both organisms
  
• Produces hybrid offspring that are often hardier
  than the parents

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e.g., commercial chickens
Commercial chicken Grows to a large full size in
only 6 weeks
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Modern Technologies Genetic Engineering

• Altering an organisms genetic code (DNA) to get
  it to express desired traits

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e.g., Bt corn

• Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) a bacterium that
  produces a caterpillar toxin
• The gene for this toxin has been inserted into
  this corns genome, which causes it to produce
  the toxin

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e.g., spider silk

• A spiders silk-making gene has been inserted
  into a goat, which then produces silk in its milk

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e.g., golden rice

• Daffodil genes for making beta-carotene are
  inserted into the genome of rice

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e.g., human insulin

• Previously, humans with diabetes used insulin
  derived from the pancreas of cows and pigs
  (limited production)
• Today, most human insulin comes from human
  insulin-making genes transferred into simple
  cells such as bacteria or bakers yeast
  (unlimited supply)
• Identical to insulin made by the human pancreas

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Recombinant DNA in bacteria

• Recombinant DNA ? taking a piece of one DNA and
  combining it with another strand of DNA
• Often, fast-growing single-celled organisms are
  used
• e.g., bacteria
• A piece of DNA that codes for a protein we want
  more of (e.g., human insulin) is spliced into the
  DNA of the fast-growing organism

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Modern Technologies Genetic Engineering

• Gene therapy ? adding a corrected copy of a gene
  to a person with a mutated gene to treat a
  disease
• e.g., Cystic Fibrosis
• Does NOT change the persons genetic code!
• Effect is temporary

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Restriction Enzymes

• Enzymes that cut DNA at certain sequences.

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