You are working for the Sanger Institute and you have been asked to demonstrate basic DNA techniques to students visiting the facility.
Carry out the following DNA techniques:
• DNA Extraction
• PCR Reaction and Electrophoresis
• Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism analysis and Electroph...
Genetic engineering is when there is a deletion, manipulation, or addition of a trait in an organism
which will give a desired change.
Genetic engineering can be used to make insulin for people with diabetes, Insulin is a hormone
made by an organ located behind the stomach called the pancreas, it is taken from pigs and cows.
The insulin is purified, this decreases the chance of the insulin causing a reaction to develop on the
user from the insulin.
Genetic engineering can also be used as a treatment for dwarfs, they are used as growth hormones.
Another way genetic engineering is used is on plants, to prevent them from developing disease such
as the tomato mosaic virus, it causes extreme damage to the tomatoes.
Genetic engineering is used to make certain animals grow bigger, such as pigs, cows, and fish. And
another way it is used on cows is by making them produce more milk.
Hazards of genetic engineering:
Eating genetically engineered food may increase someone’s chance of getting cancer.
Animals that are genetically engineered have a high chance of developing infection.
Risk of creating new microbes that are difficult to kill with antibiotics,
Social impact of genetic engineering:
A strong argument against genetic engineering is the phrase ‘playing god’. A major concern is that
second the altered gene that is placed in an organism, the process is irreversible. The public has
mixed opinions to the use of rDNA in genetic engineering. The majority of the public has a positive
view on the production of medicines through the use of genetically altered organisms. On the other
hand, some critics of rDNA say that organisms that are disease-producing and are used in some
rDNA experiments may develop a very infectious form, which could cause worldwide epidemics.
There are more human genes that are being used in non-human organisms whish make new forms
of life which are genetically partially human. Human genes are inserted into tomatoes and peppers
to make them grow faster, this suggests that someone can be a vegetarian and a cannibal at the
same time, and for the meat-eaters the question is about eating pork with human genes.
A report was released in 2002 by the National Academy of Sciences calling for a legal ban on human
cloning. In the report it stated that the high rate of health problems in clones animals indicates that
it would be highly dangerous for humans. It raises social issues like psychological issued which would
result for a cloned child that would be an identical twin to their parent.
The last scenario is that terrorist groups or armies may develop very powerful biological weaponry.
The weapons might be resistant to medicines or can be targeted at people who carry certain genes.
Genetically engineered organisms that are used for biological weapons could reproduce faster, this
results in larger amounts in shorter period of times, making the devastation levels rise.
Social issues of genetic engineering companionship for selective breeding of dogs:
Selective breeding is used by people to breed animals for a specific trait or characteristic, giving the
offspring the traits that are desired from its parents. In dogs, selective breeding can affect behaviour,
size of dog and its shape. Genetic engineering on dogs can cause health risks, it can affe3c the dogs
body and behaviour. Dalmatians can get kidney stoned or deafness and Labradors may get hip
dysplasia, lastly Great Danes may get cervical diseases.
Commercial impact of genetic engineering – Surrogacy for prize animals:
Surrogacy is common with breeding animals that are valuable, the commercial benefit is that harm
there is no harm to the parents when they are mating. More offspring will be created using their
genes because the female will not give birth. Animals that have genes that are valuable will be
inseminated with semen from another animal that also has the valuable genes, when 5 days have
passed a morula will be created, this morula is a solid ball of cells that will be cultured in vitro, where
it will split into two sets and grow. The morula will split after 24-48 hours of being monitored. The
surrogates animals uterus is responsive to the embryo implantation, this is because it was treated
with synthetic hormones and causes oestrus cycles. The surrogate animal will carry the baby until it
gives birth. The commercial disadvantage is that this process is very pricey and expensive, the
second disadvantage is that the offspring may not inherit the traits that are wanted.
Ethical impact of genetic engineering – cloning:
Some animals are near extinction, cloning is a genetic engineering method used to prevent the
extinction of animals, the cloned animals can be used to replace animals that passed, for drug
testing and lastly to inherit desired traits and characteristics. Somatic cell cloning is what this
method is called. It begins when a diploid cell is taken from an animal, and from a different animal
an egg cell will be taken, next the removal of the nucleus will be taken. A zygote is when two cells
are combined together using electricity, and the zygote will be made in vitro. A surrogate is used so
the zygote can be implanted in it. when the surrogate births the offspring, the offspring will be a
clone of the where the diploid cell originated from, however cloning is harmful to parents when they
are mating, and it is valuable.
DNA Extraction
Step 1 Lysis
The cell and the nucleus break open so it can release DNA that is inside, there are two ways to do
this. The mechanical disruption breaks open the cells, which can be done with a tissue homogenizer
and a mortar and pestle. Mechanical disruption is important when using the plant cells because their
cell wall is tough. Secondly, lysis uses detergents and enzymes like proteinase K to free the DNA and
to dissolve the cellular proteins.
Step 2 Precipitation
Now that the DNA is freed from the nucleus and mixed with mashed up cell parts precipitation
separates DNA from this cellular debris. To begin with, the Na+ ions neutralize the negative charges
on the DNA molecules, which makes them more stable as well as less water soluble. Now the
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