MODULE 12:

GENETIC
ENGINEERING
 WHAT IS GENETIC ENGINEERING?

•Genetic engineering refers to the direct

manipulation of DNA (deoxyribonucleic
acid) using technology to change the
genetic makeup of an organism - be it an
animal, plant or a bacterium.
•It is also called genetic
modification, and it was first
introduced in 1970s
RECOMBINANT DNA

•Recombinant DNA allows one

specific piece of DNA to be cut
and combined with another piece
of DNA.
 Recombinant
DNA

Figure 1. Process of Recombinant DNA

 WHAT IS PLASMID?

•A plasmid is a small, circular

piece of DNA found in the
cells of many bacteria and
some eukaryotes.
WHAT IS RESTRICTION ENZYMES?

Restriction enzymes, also known as restriction

endonucleases, are a type of enzyme used in genetic
engineering to cut DNA at specific sequences.
These enzymes act as molecular scissors, recognizing a
particular short sequence of nucleotides (the building
blocks of DNA) and cutting the DNA at that site.
 HERE’S HOW THEY ARE USED:

[Link] Cutting: Restriction enzymes recognize specific sequences in a DNA

molecule (typically 4-8 base pairs long). When they find this sequence, they
cut the DNA, often creating "sticky ends" or "blunt ends" that can be used for
further manipulation.
[Link] Recombinant DNA: After cutting a DNA molecule, restriction
enzymes can help insert foreign DNA into the target DNA. The "sticky
ends" (unpaired bases) generated by the cuts can bind to complementary
sticky ends from another DNA fragment, allowing scientists to splice in genes
from other organisms to create recombinant DNA.
[Link] and Transformation: By cutting and pasting DNA fragments with
the help of restriction enzymes, scientists can clone genes, study their
functions, or introduce modified genes into organisms (a process called
transformation).
 WHAT IS INSULIN GENE?
• The insulin gene refers to the specific
sequence of DNA that encodes
the insulin protein, which plays a crucial role
in regulating blood sugar levels in the body.
• This gene is located on chromosome 11 in
humans
[Link] insulin gene is first identified and
isolated from human DNA.
[Link] isolating the insulin gene, it is
inserted into a vector, which is typically a
plasmid (a small, circular DNA molecule
used for transferring genes) through DNA
ligase (seals the gene into the vector ensuring
the DNA strand is intact and functional).
• What type of organism was the first to
be successfully modified via the
techniques of genetic engineering?

Bacteria
 GENE THERAPY

•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.
 GENE EDITING
•Genome editing (also called gene
editing) is a group of technologies that
give scientists the ability to change an
organism's DNA (make highly specific
changes in an organism’s nucleic acid
sequence)
 SELECTIVE BREEDING

Selective Breeding is also known as artificial

selection.
• It is the process used by humans to develop new
organisms with desirable characteristics.
• Breeders select two parents that have beneficial
phenotypic traits to reproduce, yielding offspring with
those desired traits
 CLONING

• DNA cloning is the process of making multiple,

identical copies of a particular piece of DNA.
• In a usual DNA cloning procedure, the gene or
other DNA fragment of interest (e.i human protein)
is first inserted into a circular piece of DNA called a
plasmid.
• The insertion is done using enzymes that
“cut and paste” DNA, and it produces a
molecule of recombinant DNA, or DNA
assembled out of fragments from multiple
sources.
Figure 3. Illustrated Process of Genetic Modification
 GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS
(GMO)
• A genetically modified organism or GMO, is an
organism (plant, animal, or any microorganism) whose
genetic makeup has been modified in a laboratory using
genetic engineering or transgenic technology.
• They produced combinations of plant, animal, bacterial
and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through
traditional crossbreeding methods.
 TABLE 1: EXAMPLES OF GMOS RESULTING FROM AGRICULTURAL
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Genetically Conferred Example Genetic Change
Trait Organism

Approved Commercial Products

Herbicide tolerance Soybean Glyphosate herbicide (Roundup) tolerance conferred
by expression of a glyphosate-tolerant form of the
plant enzyme 5-
enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase
(EPSPS) isolated from the soil bacterium
Agrobacterium tumefaciens, strain CP4

Insect resistance Corn Resistance to insect pests, specifically the European

corn borer, through expression of the insecticidal
protein Cry1Ab from Bacillus thuringiensis
Altered fatty acid Canola High laurate levels achieved by inserting the gene
composition for ACP thioesterase from the California bay tree
Umbellularia californica
Virus resistance Plum Resistance to plum pox virus conferred by insertion
of a coat protein (CP) gene from the virus
 Products Still in Development
Vitamin enrichment Rice Three genes for the manufacture of beta-
carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, in the
endosperm of the rice prevent its removal
(from husks) during milling.

Vaccines Tobacco Hepatitis B virus surface antigen

(HBsAg) produced in transgenic tobacco
induces immune response when injected
into mice
Oral vaccines Maize Fusion protein (F) from Newcastle disease
virus (NDV) expressed in corn seeds
induces an immune response
when fed to chickens

Faster maturation Coho salmon A type 1 growth hormone gene injected

into fertilized fish eggs results in 6.2%
retention of the vector at one year of age,
as well as significantly increased growth
rates
 POTENTIAL GMO APPLICATIONS:

1. Some microorganisms are being considered as future clean fuel

producers and bio degraders.
2. Genetically modified plants may be used to produce recombinant
vaccines, like oral vaccine expressed in fruits and vegetables as a
possible solution to the spread of disease in underdeveloped
countries, one that would greatly reduce the costs associated with
conducting large-scale vaccination campaigns.
3. Future production of other commercially valuable proteins in plants,
such as spider silk protein and polymers that can be used in
surgery or tissue replacement.
 CURRENT USE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED
ORGANISMS

1. Increased crop yields, reduced costs for food or drug

production, reduced need for pesticides, enhanced nutrient
composition and food quality, resistance to pests and disease,
greater food security, and medical benefits to the world's
growing population.
2. Advances have also been made in developing crops that
mature faster and tolerate aluminum, boron, salt, drought,
frost, and other environmental stressors, allowing plants to
grow in conditions where they might not otherwise flourish
3. The production of non-protein (bioplastic)
or non-industrial (ornamental plant) products.
4. A number of animals have been genetically
engineered to increase yield and decrease
susceptibility to disease, such as salmon
which have been engineered to grow larger
RISKS AND CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING THE USE OF
GMOS

• Alterations can change the organism's natural

life processes such as metabolism, growth rate,
and/or response to external environmental factors.
• Allergic reactions may occur because some
GMOs may contain genes from an allergen, such
as food that prompts an allergic reaction.
• Ecological imbalances can be caused by horizontal
gene transfer of pesticide, herbicide, or antibiotic
resistance to other organisms. This promotes the
spread of disease among both plants and animals.
• Antibacterial resistance can also occur due to
genetic modification, which can boost a crop’s
resistance to disease or make it more tolerant to
herbicides, could affect the ability of people to defend
against illness.
• Cancer may also be contributed by consuming
GMO foods.
• Outcrossing is the risk of acquiring genes from
certain GMO plants which mixes with conventional
crops. This was derived from the information in
which low levels of GMO crops approved as animal
feed or those that are used for industrial purposes,
are found in food for human consumption.
Effects of Genetic
Engineering
 EFFECTS OF GENETIC ENGINEERING

Environment
- leads to imbalance in the ecology.
- An accident in use of a virus or bacteria for
example could result in a stronger type, which
could cause a serious epidemic when
spread.
Human. This may lead to
another health condition or
disease to human. (virus or any
form of diseases).
 MUTATION

• In the process of genetic engineering, there were some

instances where modification can turn into a mistake. It
produces an undesirable result called mutant (process is called
mutation)
• Mutation is a permanent change in a DNA sequence.
Mutations can result from DNA copying mistakes made during
cell division, exposure to ionizing radiation, exposure to
chemicals called mutagens, or infection by viruses
FIGURE 4. RESULT OF MUTATION
LET’S TRY!
GENETIC ENGINEERING

It refers to the direct manipulation of

DNA using technology to change the
genetic makeup of an organism.
GENE EDITING

It is the ability to change an

organism's DNA
 RECOMBINANT DNA

It allows one specific piece of DNA

to be cut and combined with
another piece of DNA.
 GENE THERAPY

• It is an experimental technique that

uses genes to treat or prevent
disease.
 SELECTIVE BREEDING

It is the process used by humans to

develop new organisms with
desirable characteristics.
 DNA CLONING

• It is the process of making

multiple, identical copies of
a particular piece of DNA.
 MUTATION

It is a permanent change in a
DNA sequence.
 BACTERIA
• What type of organism was the
first to be successfully modified
via the techniques of genetic
engineering?
 PLASMID
• It is a small, circular piece of
DNA found in the cells of many
bacteria and some eukaryotes.
 DNA LIGASE
•It seals the gene into the
vector ensuring the DNA
strand is intact and functional
 RESTRICTION ENZYME

•Type of enzyme used in

genetic engineering to cut
DNA at specific sequences.