Cloning and Recombinant DNA

Technology
Created @August 27, 2022 4:53 PM

Class Biotechnology law

Materials

Cloning 🐏

Cloning Animals
Animal cloning can be done one of two ways -

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 1. Embryo splitting

2. Nuclear transfer

Embryo Splitting 🍳

Egg is collected from female

Egg is fertilised through in vitro fertilisation

Embryo is grown to 8-16 cells

Then the cells are separated

The separated cells are grown into separate embryos

The embryos are finally planted to surrogate mothers

The method may be used to clone any mammalian embryos including humans.

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 Nuclear Transfer ⚛
Not taught

Recombinant DNA Technology

RNA Protein Synthesis
Quite simply, cells cannot function without
proteins. How does DNA make proteins? Actually,
DNA does not make proteins directly.

To synthesize proteins, genes are first copied into

molecules called messenger RNA (mRNA).

RNA synthesis is called transcription, because

genes are literally transcribed (copied) from a DNA
code into an RNA code.
In turn, mRNA molecules, which are exact copies
of genes, contain information that is deciphered
into instructions for making a protein through a
process known as translation.

DNA polymerase, the key enzyme that synthesizes DNA during semiconservative
replication, is widely used in molecular biology labs to copy DNA. Similarly, RNA
polymerase is also widely used in molecular research. In addition, many DNA
cloning procedures rely on DNA ligase to join together DNA fragments from different
sources—a process called recombinant DNA technology.

What is Recombinant DNA? 🤝

Recombinant DNA is a form of artificial DNA that is made through the combination or
insertion of one or more DNA strands, therefore combining DNA sequences as per
your requirement, within different species i.e. DNA sequences that would not
normally occur together

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 Process ⬇
A DNA fragment with the gene of interest is obtained from the donor cell.

A suitable plasmid is obtained from a bacterium.

The DNA fragment containing the gene of interest is cut using a restriction
enzyme.

This enzyme acts like scissors.

This enzyme recognises the DNA sequence and cuts the DNA at a specific
point.

The same enzyme cuts open the plasmid.

The DNA fragment is inserted into the plasmid with the help of another enzyme
called ligase.

Ligase acts like glue.

A recombinant plasmid is finally formed.

Advantages ✅ and Disadvantages 🚫

Advantages

1. Provides substantial quantity and growth in population of crops

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 2. Resistance to natural inhibitors of disease, environmental hazards

3. Tailor made products you can control

4. No need for natural or organic factors

5. Cheap

6. Unlimited utilisations

Disadvantages

1. Unforeseen health issues to humans and animals

2. Affects natural immune system of the human body

3. Effects on the environment, can destroy the natural ecosystem that relies on an
organic cycle

4. Socioeconomic consequences -

a. Companies may have monopoly over the creation of such crops

b. Could render farming completely unfeasible

5. Ethical concerns - could lead to creation of super-human race

6. Biosafety issues - manufacturing of biological weapons, anthrax to target

humans with specific genotype

7. Privacy issues - KS Puttaswamy v. UOI - privacy is multidimensional

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