Genetics 24231 Faculty of Agriculture

1. Genetics 24231Faculty of Agriculture Instructor: Dr. Jihad Abdallah Topic 14: Biotechnology

2. Biotechnology is defined as the technology that involves the use of living organisms or products from living organisms to benefit humans (production of food, drugs, etc). • Many important drugs are produced by recombinant organisms (Insulin, Renin inhibitor,etc) • Gene therapy. • Production of transgenic plants and animals • DNA fingerprinting

3. Gene Therapy: The insertion of therapeutic genes into an individual so that their products act to modulate a particular phenotype. • One strategy associated with gene therapy involves the removal of cells from the body, engineering them to produce the desired effect, and then implanting them back into the body of the individual. • For example, researchers are now experimenting with the insertion of genes for clotting factor into cells that are then implanted into individuals suffering from hemophilia. • This allows the body to produce clotting factor and alleviate symptoms associated with hemophilia.

4. Transgenic Plants and animals • Organisms that carry recombinant DNA are termed transgenic organisms and the added DNA is termed a transgene. • Transgenic plants and animals may be very useful for humans (for food, production of certain hormones , etc)

5. How Do Researchers Produce a Transgenic Mammal? • For a gene to be expressed, researchers must put the transgene into the zygote before the beginning of embryonic development. • If this is performed successfully, all of the cells of the organism will contain the desired DNA. • To date, researchers have been successful in producing transgenic mice, pigs, goats, and sheep.

7. Transgenic plants • Molecular biologists use the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens which naturally infect plants to produce transgenic plants. • Molecular biologists can genetically engineer plants that can: • synthesize animal or plant proteins; • resist herbicides; • resist infection by plant viruses.

8. The Genetic Engineering of Plants Is Easier Than That of Animals • Plant advantages: • 1) they are easier to clone than animal cells (plant cells are totipotent: one cell can produce an entire plant); • 2) they can be grown in vast fields which allows massive production of desired products;

9. Animal Cloning • Dolly was the first animal to be cloned via nuclear transfer from a cultured somatic cell derived from an adult sheep. • This process, known as SCNT (somatic cell nuclear transfer) cloning. • This allowed cloning technology to be extended to make copies of top breeding animals with well established breeding superiority based on their own performance records, and those of their offspring.

10. SCNT: Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

11. DNA Fingerprinting Example: Suppose Joe’s DNA has four restriction sites for EcoR1; EcoR1 will, therefore, cut Joe’s DNA four times _______________________________________________ 5 fragments result from the action of EcoR1when applied to Joe’s DNA What is the restriction site for EcoR1?

12. Suppose Anisa’s DNA has 3 restriction sites for EcoR1. EcoR1 will, therefore, cut Anisa’s DNA three times. _______________________________________________ 4 DNA segments result

13. Restriction Enzyme & DNA Fragments EcoR1 cuts Joe’s DNA into 5 fragments and Anisa’s into 4. Joe Anisa Note: In addition to differing in fragment number, the size of the fragments differs as well.

14. - + Joe’s DNA Anisa’s DNA Analysis: These fragments can now be separated from one another using Gel Electrophoresis Smaller DNA fragments will travel farther on the gel than larger DNA fragments.