Applications of Biotechnology

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Applications of Biotechnology

• Read 213-220
• 217 1-2
• 220 1-3
• 222 1-20, 22

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Last class

• Remember we talked briefly about applications of
  biotechnology.
• Health Care improvements
• Crop production increases (transgenic crops)
• Industrial use of crops (biodegradable plastics,
  biofuels)
• Bioinformatics (pharmaceuticals)
• Bioengineering (artificial organs/limbs)
• And there were 5 steps to genetic engineering
• Isolate gene(s) of interest (gel electrophoresis
  for example)
• Insert gene into a vector
• Transfer vector to organism
• Wait for organisms genes to become altered
• Select for organisms that have become altered

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Vectors

• Once a gene is identified, it can be recombined
  in other organisms for biotechnology purposes.
• In order to reinsert a piece of DNA, you need a
  vector a carrier of genetic material.
• Common ways are using bacteria with vectors
  called plasmids.
• A plasmid is a circular piece of DNA separate
  from the bacterial chromosome.
• Another form of vectors are viruses.

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Gene Cloning

• One application of biotechnology is providing
  insulin for diabetics.
• Plasmids in bacteria produce insulin which can
  then be harvested.

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Transgenic crops

• Ever heard the debate between regular and
  organic foods? Whats that mean?!
• Many crops are either sprayed with pesticides or
  transgenically altered to improve their
  resistance to pests.
• A transgenic organism is one that has DNA added
  to it from a different species
• Transgenic organisms are also referred to as
  genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

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Examples of transgenics

• Some salmon (allowing them to grow faster)
• Cotton (to become toxic to some insects)
• Rice (flood resistance)
• Goldfish (cold resistance)
• Strawberry (cold resistance)
• Corn (increased yield, resistance)

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Issues

• Safety- health concerns to humans
• Ethical business- some companies produce
  resistant seeds/plants but those plants wont
  produce seeds so farmers must repurchase seeds
  annually.
• Environmental- harming of ecosystem and insects
  that normally feed on crops (resistance of crop
  leads to population changes)

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Other applications

• Gene Therapy- allows for proper working
  cells/genes to replace malfunctioning cells/genes
  (like Lorenzos Oil)
• Vaccine and medicine research- Since genes can be
  transferred to other organisms, studies of
  vaccines and medicines can be performed on
  non-humans.
• Markers- Genetic flags which can help identify
  particular genes or alleles (such as marking
  genetic disorders)

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Stem Cells

• A current ethical discussion
• Stem cells are cells that can differentiate into
  any kind of cell.
• Found in most, if not all, multicellular
  organisms
• Occur in 2 broad types embryonic and adult

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Adult Stem Cells

• Already used in some therapy from sources
• Umbilical cord blood
• Bone marrow
• Adult stem cells not as controversial because
  does not destroy an embryo.
• Adult stem cells can be obtained from the same
  patient intended to help.
• Adult stem cells not as diverse differentiation.

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Embryonic stem cells

• Comes from an early stage of embryonic
  development.
• Can develop into more than 200 different types of
  cells. Also can differentiate an unlimited
  number of times.
• Not yet used in any approved treatments

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Rice Flooding reflection

• Is flood-resistant rice a good idea?
• Are GMOs (rice and others weve discussed) a good
  idea?
• Should there be limitations on what we
  genetically modify?
• What concerns do you have about GMOs?
• Where do we draw the line?