• Genetically modified organisms or• Transgenic Organisms - organisms that

have foreign DNA (genes) introduced into them

• Used to increase survival rates• Introducing foreign DNA into bacteria,

plants and animals • Used in research and pharmaceuticals

GMO’s

Genetic Engineering

• Selects useful traits from a range of variation.

• Artificial selection and breeding to acquire beneficial traits.

• Breeding cattle, dogs, corn .

• Now molecular biologists can introduce genes into all kinds of organisms

• Molecular Biologists, know that genes are chains of nucleotides

• With this knowledge, they are able to move genes around and cut and paste pieces of DNA from different organisms.

E.Coli

Plasmid DNA Plasmid DNA + gene

How might we cut open the plasmid to get the gene in?

Plasmid DNA + gene Bacterial cell + your plasmid!

What happens every time the bacterial cell divides and replicates its own DNA?

Gene you are

interested in+

Bacterial cell

+

Recombinant DNA

• Recombinant DNA is any DNA molecule consisting of two or more DNA segments that are not normally found together in nature. Sometimes called designer genes.

• Joins together pieces of DNA in combinations that benefit scientists.

• DNAse and RNAse are enzymes that actually cut the bonds between nucleotides in DNA or RNA.

• Restriction enzymes are special DNAses that cut DNA at specific locations.

• For instance the EcoRI binds to and cuts DNA wherever it finds the sequence GAATTC.

• This results in many fragments with ends that can be identified and are complimentary (sticky).

• DNA ligase is an enzyme that is used to link together separate pieces of DNA into one continuous strand.

• For example, to make the hormone insulin, researchers inserted a sequence coding for human insulin next to the operator and the promoter for β-galactosidase from E. coli.

• When the bacteria was exposed to lactose, the bacteria produced insulin

Rat Insulin Gene Example

Transgenic crops

GFP Critters!

Green Fluorescent Protein

• Found in one species of jelly fish (Aequorea victoria)

• GFP started to be used in biology in the 1990s

• Nobel Prize in 2008!• Great website:

http://www.conncoll.edu/ccacad/zimmer/GFP-ww/GFP-1.htm

So what can we use GFP for?• “Tag” specific

cells and/or specific proteins we are interested in looking at

Interesting Transgenic Animals!

Emerald Sea Slug

• Naturally-occuring!• Sequence identical to

an algal photosynthetic gene in its genomeo Gene somehow

integrated into the slug’s DNA!

Spider Goat

• Spider silko Stronger than steel!o Really flexible

• Goats have spider silk gene inserted into their DNA

• Silk is harvested from the goat’s __________

Super Muscle Trout

• Fish have 20-25% more muscle growth

• Gene inserted that makes a protein that inhibits another protein that SLOWS muscle growth

Brainbow Mouse

• Randomly expressing different ratios of red, green, and blue derivatives of GFP

Gene therapy

• Use genes to try to treat a diseaseo Protein function

has somehow been changed

o Gene therapy tries to fix that!

• Still a very risky procedure!