Aim: How can we alter genetic make-up of organisms (should we) ?

1. Aim: How can we alter genetic make-up of organisms (should we) ? HW #12 Text read pages 327-329 Pg. 329 q. #2 and 4

2. For thousands of years new varieties of cultivated plants and domestic animals have resulted from selective breeding for particular traits Santa Gertrudis cattle: Formed by crossing Brahman and English shorthorns; has good heat resistance and beef. Brahman cattle:Good resistance to heat but poor beef English shorthorn cattle: Good beef but poor heat resistance.

3. Lupins (Lupinus L.) are members of the legume family (subfamily Papilioniodeae) containing both herbaceous annual and shrubby perennial types with attractive long racemes of flowers

4. 1994 The FDA approved the first genetically engineered food -- FlavrSavr tomatoes engineered for better flavor and shelf life. In recent years new varieties of farm plants and animals have been engineered by manipulating their genetic instructions to produce new characteristics

5. created a rice cultivar that offers a metabolic precursor to vitamin A known as beta-carotene Golden Rice - GMO

6. Add traits Anti-freeze gene from fish

7. How do we add genes to another organism ? Recombinant Gene Technology involves changing the gene in an organism’s embryo (or seed in the case of plants) before it becomes a full grown organism

8. Bacteria has plasmids that are genetically changed Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a remarkable species of soil-dwelling bacteria that has the ability to infect plant cells with a piece of its DNA.

9. Aim: How do we change characteristics ? Making Human Insulin uses recombinant gene technology

10. Some recombinant DNA products being used in human therapy • insulin for diabetics • factor VIII for males suffering from hemophilia A • factor IX for hemophilia B • human growth hormone (GH) • erythropoietin (EPO) for treating anemia • three types of interferons, several interleukins • granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) for stimulating the bone marrow after a bone marrow transplant • granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for stimulating neutrophil production, e.g., after chemotherapy and for mobilizing hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow into the blood. • tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) for dissolving blood clots • adenosine deaminase (ADA) for treating some forms of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) • angiostatin and endostatin for trials as anti-cancer drugs • parathyroid hormone • leptin • hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) to vaccinate against the hepatitis B virus • C1 inhibitor (C1INH) used to treat hereditary angioneurotic edema (HANE)

11. Bt corn is a variant of maize, genetically altered to express the bacterial Bt toxin, which is poisonous to insect pests. In the case of corn, the pest is the European Corn Borer. How was Recombinant DNA Technology used to develop Bt corn?

12. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a spore forming bacterium that produces crystals protein (cry proteins), which are toxic to many species of insects.

13. To transform a plant into a GMO plant, the gene that produces a genetic trait of interest is identified and separated from the rest of the genetic material from a donor organism. Most organisms have thousands of genes, a single gene represents only a tiny fraction of the total genetic makeup of an organism

14. Aim:How does gene therapy cure disease? • Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease. In the future, this technique may allow doctors to treat a disorder by inserting a gene into a patient’s cells instead of using drugs or surgery. Researchers are testing several approaches to gene therapy, including: • Replacing a mutated gene that causes disease with a healthy copy of the gene. • Inactivating, or “knocking out,” a mutated gene that is functioning improperly. • Introducing a new gene into the body to help fight a disease.

15. How is gene therapy carried out? • The challenge of developing successful gene therapy for any • specific condition is considerable. The condition in question must • be well understood and the underlying faulty gene identified. • A working copy of the gene involved must be available, • The specific cells in the body requiring treatment must be identified and accessible and finally, • a means of efficiently delivering working copies of the gene to these cells must be available. • Of all these challenges, the one that is most difficult is the • problem of ‘gene delivery’ ie. how to get the new or replacement • genes into the desired tissues. • www.genetics.edu.au

16. Some of the ‘vectors’ for the role of delivering the working copy of the gene to the target cells include using: a) Harmless viruses One of the most promising methods currently being developed is the use of harmless viruses that can be used to carry genes into cells b) Stem cells Stem cells are immature cells that contain the genes that can differentiate or develop into cells with different functions.

17. Although gene therapy is a promising treatment option for a number of diseases (including inherited disorders, some types of cancer, and certain viral infections), the technique remains risky and is still under study to make sure that it will be safe and effective. Gene therapy is currently only being tested for the treatment of diseases that have no other cures.