5.3 Modern Genetics Uses DNA Technology
genome
All the genetic material in an organism.
What are three steps involved in genetic engineering?
1. A sequence of DNA from an organism is isolated. 2. The sequence of DNA is splices from the first organism. 3. The sequence of DNA is inserted into the DNA of another organism.
What are some of the risks associated with using genetic engineering in food crops?
1. The genetically engineered food (like the natural pesticides produced by a GM plant) might have a bad effect on humans who consume them. 2. GM plants might cross breed with other plants that are considered weeds. Then the weeds would be protected from pests and would compete with the food crops we are trying to grow.
Dolly
A sheep who was the first clone of a mammal in 1996. All of Dolly's DNA came from a single body cell of another sheep.
cloning
A technique that uses technology to make copies. It can be applied to a segment of DNA or to a whole organism.
Why do organisms change over time?
Changes come about because of mutations in DNA. Random changes in DNA may introduce new traits into an organism.
What is a benefit of cloning?
Cloning has been used in bacteria to produce proteins and drugs that help fight disease. Human insulin, used to treat diabetes, is produced through cloning.
What is DNA identification?
Law enforcement specialists gather DNA evidence from a crime scene. They then use this info. to create a DNA profile or "DNA fingerprint" of that individual. This fingerprint is unique to each person (unless you have an identical twin). This allows police to know who was at the crime scene. Usually at least 4 to 6 DNA regions must be matched to establish a person's guilt.
What is one application of genetic engineering across species?
Making plants more insect-resistant. Genetic engineers have isolated genes in microorganisms that produce natural insect-killing chemicals, or pesticides. They have succeeded in transferring these genes into the DNA of crop plants, such as corn and soybeans.
model organisms
Organisms for whom scientists have completed the sequencing of their genome. This allows scientists to compare DNA across species.
genetically modified (GM) or transgenic
Organisms referred to as ________ have had a gene from another species transferred into their DNA.
How does selective breeding affect DNA?
People are not changing the DNA. They are causing certain alleles to become more common in a particular breed. (by choosing to breed the parents who have those alleles)
What is the risk of GM organisms to wild populations?
The GM organisms could escape and breed with the wild populations and forever change the genetic makeup of the wild population. For example, scientists have genetically modified salmon to grow faster. If they escape from their pens and breed with wild salmon, the faster growing ones could wipe out the rest of the salmon population.
Human Genome Project
The primary goal of this project was to sequence the 3 billion nucleotide pairs in a single set of human chromosomes. The initial sequence was published in 2001.
genetic engineering
The process in which a sequence of DNA from an organism is first isolated, then inserted into the DNA of another organism, changing that organism's DNA. The DNA that is engineered often codes for some particular trait of interest.
selective breeding
___ is the process of selecting and breeding parent organisms to pass on particular traits to the offspring. This can be successful as long as the desirable traits are controlled by genes.
