GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

For

centuries people have bred plants and animals to get the best characteristics:
Taste Colour Size

This

has resulted in the varieties of livestock, vegetables, owers and other crops that we use today

WHAT IS GENETIC ENGINEERING?

DNA Made Manually Adding

RECAP: DNA
- a molecule found in the nucleus of every cell up of 4 subunits (A, T, G, & C) is packed into chromosomes segments of DNA

adding new DNA to an organism

DNA

more desirable traits not found in that organism

Genes: Small Holds

instructions for how to produce a single protein

DEMO

RECAP: PROTEINS

They http://cls.casa.colostate.edu/transgeniccrops/animation.html

do a lot of work in cells!

structurally regulate enzymes

reactions

WHAT ARE SOME DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS?

Easy Easy Easy

to grow to store to ship to pests

As

a result, some varieties are no longer raised.

There

Resistant Provide Grow

is a movement to protect these heirloom varieties in order to preserve genetic diversity of their genetic diversity, these heirloom varieties are more resistant to disease and they drive evolution.

high yields

Because

under well under environmental conditions

BIOPHARMING
When

EXAMPLES

pharmaceutical products are produced on a large scale using biotechnology

Ex: The

Spider E. coli

Goats

production of Insulin

bacteria altered to become insulin factories can now produce insulin

Genetic

engineering uses DNA technology to modify the genes of a cell or an organism.

Safowers

GMOS AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Coho

GMOS BEING RESEARCHED

Rice Higher Tobacco

Salmon maturation

Canola Resistance

Faster Cattle

to herbicides and pests; altered FA composition

vitamin A

Resistance Tomatoes Improved

to MCD

Corn Resistance

to pests

Hepatitis Corn

B vaccine

durability

avour, more

Soybeans Herbicide

tolerance

Oral

vaccines

GM CANOLA
Has

ADVANTAGES

been engineered to be resistant to specic herbicides

Less

Herbicides

can be sprayed to kill weeds but the Canola remains healthy oil from GM canola is identical to conventional less herbicides, 10% increased yields.

pesticides yields

Increased Potential

The 40%

to provide food for the worlds hungry

DISADVANTAGES
Increased

costs of patented seeds family farms and smaller scale operations of traditional crops

SOCIETAL CONCERNS AND IMPLICATIONS

Excluding

Contamination Patent Some

infringement

Where There There

do you draw the line?

GM plants produce toxins of soil and water

are many known benets may be far-reaching irreversible effects

Contamination Reduced

sh populations

BT CORN
Step Step

BT CORN
1: DNA is extracted from the soil bacteria 2: Gene Cloning

Resistant Soil

to European Corn Borer

Bacteria: Bacillus thuringiensis

produces

a protein that was toxic to silk worms and European corn borer

This

separates the single gene of interest from the rest of the genes extracted are also made of the desired gene

Copies

 Step

3: Gene Design

The

gene is cut apart with enzymes for it will work inside a different organisms 4: Transformation/ Gene Insertion

Step

Tissue

cultures are used to create undifferentiated plant cells where the genes will be inserted 5: Breeding

Step