Animal, Plant & Soil Science

1. Animal, Plant & Soil Science Lesson B2-6 Organismic and Molecular Biotechnology

2. Interest Approach • Ask the students if biotechnology is safe. Lead a discussion regarding the common practices of animal producers that are forms of biotechnology.

3. Objectives • Identify and describe organismic biotechnology methods used to improve plants and animals. • Examine genetic engineering, and outline the steps of recombinant DNA technology.

4. Objectives • Identify and describe transgenic methods, such as microinjection and particle injection. • Identify examples of plants, animals, and products that have been developed through molecular biotechnology.

5. Terms • embryo transfer • gene transfer • genetic engineering • microinjection • particle injection • plasmids • recombinant DNA • superovulation • transgene • transgenic animal

6. What are the various organismic biotechnology methods used toimprove plants and animals? • Most animal management practices in livestock production are organismic biotechnology. • Examples of this area of biotechnology: • A. Greater fertility involves increasing the reproductive capacity of top animals, which is important to producers. • The two main methods used to increase the reproductive capacity of animals are superovulation and embryo transfer.

7. What are the various organismic biotechnology methods used toimprove plants and animals? • 1. Superovulation involves getting a female to release more than the usual number of eggs during a single estrous cycle. • Hormones are injected to assure more eggs. • 2. Embryo transfer involves taking an embryo from its mother and implanting it in another female. • The embryo completes development in the recipient.

9. What are the various organismic biotechnology methods used toimprove plants and animals? • B. Increased production results in more profits for the owners. • Three methods used to increase production are milk hormones, meat hormones, and growth implants. • 1. Milk hormones—Injections of milk hormones cause the cow’s mammary system to become more productive. • The most common milk hormone is bovine somatotropin (bST). • Many farmers and consumers accept the use of bST because it is a naturally occurring hormone.

10. What are the various organismic biotechnology methods used toimprove plants and animals? • 2. Meat hormones—Injections of meat hormones cause the animal to produce more muscle cells, resulting in larger and leaner cuts of valuable meat. • 3. Growth implants—Growth implants are small pellets placed under the skin. • They promote growth by making the animal more feed efficient.

11. What are the various organismic biotechnology methods used toimprove plants and animals? • C. The greatest results of biotechnology have been seen in improved animal nutrition. • Some of the enhancements include digestibility testing and controlled feeding. • 1. Digestibility testing—Tests are made by obtaining samples from the digestive systems of animals after they have eaten. • This information is used to improve feed use and animal growth.

12. What are the various organismic biotechnology methods used toimprove plants and animals? • 2. Controlled feeding—Computer chips can be put in a monitor around the animal’s neck, on an ear tag, or under the skin. • A computerized feeding station will read the chip and regulate the amount of feed the animal receives. • Daily feed intake by the animal is used to aid in the detection of health problems.

13. What is genetic engineering, and what are the steps of recombinant DNA technology? • The number of molecular biotechnological methods has increased. • The result of this work has been improved animal and plant production. • Two of the most common methods are genetic engineering and recombinant DNA.

14. What is genetic engineering, and what are the steps of recombinant DNA technology? • A. Genetic engineering is a form of biotechnology in which genetic information is changed to make a new product. • Through this process, sections of the DNA strand are cut out, and new sections are inserted. • Gene transfer is the moving of a gene from one organism to another. • Genetic engineering is a means of complementing traditional breeding programs.

15. What is genetic engineering, and what are the steps of recombinant DNA technology? • B. Recombinant DNA is gene slicing. • Genes are cut out of a DNA strand with a restriction enzyme that works like a scalpel. • The genes are then inserted into circular DNA molecules in bacteria plasmids. • Plasmids are circular pieces of DNA found outside the nucleus in bacteria. • The plasmid is inserted into the cell that is to be altered, which allows the DNA of two different organisms to be combined. • Recombinant DNA is a very complicated and complex procedure. • Most cells die in the process. • Many surviving cells do not have the new DNA present in the nucleus.

17. What are the various transgenic methods? • A transgenic animal is an animal that has incorporated a foreign gene into its cells. • The animal can pass this transgene (altered gene) to its offspring. • All of the cells within the transgenic animal contain this transgene. • Some common transgenic methods include microinjection and particle injection.

18. What are the various transgenic methods? • A. Microinjection is the most common method used. • Injecting DNA into a cell using a fine diameter glass needle and a microscope constitutes microinjection. • B. Particle injection is using a microprojectile unit to shoot tiny particles coated with DNA into cells. • Microprojectile units are sometimes called particle guns. • Both methods have relatively low success rates.

19. What are the various transgenic methods?

20. What are examples of plants, animals, and products that have been developed through molecular biotechnology? • Several major improvements have been discovered through the use of molecular biotechnology. • These improvements can be separated into several categories.

21. What are examples of plants, animals, and products that have been developed through molecular biotechnology? • A. Human health—Animals are being used to study several different types of diseases found in humans. • Insulin was once extracted from the pancreas of slaughtered cattle and hogs, which was very expensive. • Sometimes the insulin from the animals caused allergic reactions in the diabetics who used it. • Through molecular biotechnology, higher quality and less expensive insulin is now produced artificially in laboratories.

23. What are examples of plants, animals, and products that have been developed through molecular biotechnology? • B. Food production—Increasing the levels of beta casein in milk decreases the time required for rennet coagulation and whey expulsion in making cheese, which lowers the total processing time and cost. • Also through biotechnology, the fat content in milk can be reduced to make fat-free cheese and ice cream. • In addition, if a substance known as kappa casein is increased by 5 percent in milk, it will make the milk more stable and easier to ship.

24. What are examples of plants, animals, and products that have been developed through molecular biotechnology? • C. Livestock production—The use of biotechnology has increased the growth rate, efficiency, and disease resistance in livestock, which has resulted in a decline in livestock production costs and assisted in creating a low-cost food supply.

25. Review • What are the various organismic biotechnology methods used to improve plants and animals? • What is genetic engineering, and what are the steps of recombinant DNA technology?

26. Review • What are the various transgenic methods? • What are examples of plants, animals, and products that have been developed through molecular biotechnology?