KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA

NAD,SUNABEDA

BIOLOGY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

SESSION:2022-2023

TOPIC: GENETICALLY MODIFIED

ORGANISMS

Submitted by: Milan khara.

Submitted to: Ms Kalpana Rani(PGT Biology)

Roll no:
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that this biology
investigatory project on the topic “
Genetically modified organisms” has been
completed my Milan khara of class 12
under the guidance of Mrs. Kalpana Rani
in particular fulfilment of curriculum of
Central Board Of Secondary Education
(CBSE) leading to the award of annual
examination of the year 2022-2023.

Teacher’s signature:

Principal’s signature:

External examiner’s signature:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I Milan khara of class 12 would like to

express my sincere gratitude towards our
respected principal Mrs Anindita
Chatterjee for encouragement and help
from time to time during my tenure as a
class 12 student

I would also like to express my gratitude

towards our biology teacher Mrs. Kalpana
Rani for helping me in this project by
providing useful ideas and guidelines. I
thank her for encouraging me throughout

I would also like to thank my parents and

friends for their vital support and
encouragement and motivation given to
me in completing this project
CONTENTS
Introduction
Some examples of GMO
GMO and the environment
Ethical issues related to GMO
Conclusion
Bibliography
INTRODUCTION
A genetically modified organism (GMO) is
an organism whose DNA has been
modified in the laboratory in order to
favour the expression of desired
physiological traits or the production of
desired biological products. Genetically
modified organism (GMO), organism
whose genome has been engineered in
the laboratory in order to favour the
expression of desired physiological traits
or the generation of desired biological
products.
In conventional livestock production, crop
farming, and even pet breeding, it has
long been the practice to breed select
individuals of a species in order to
produce offspring that have desirable
traits. In genetic modification, however,
recombinant genetic technologies are
employed to produce organisms whose
genomes have been precisely altered at
the molecular level, usually by the
inclusion of genes from unrelated species
of organisms that code for traits that
would not be obtained easily through
conventional selective breeding.
How are they produced?
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
are produced using scientific methods
that include recombinant DNA technology
and reproductive cloning. In reproductive
cloning, a nucleus is extracted from a cell
of the individual to be cloned and is
inserted into the enucleated cytoplasm of
a host egg (an enucleated egg is an egg
cell that has had its own nucleus
removed). The process results in the
generation of an offspring that is
genetically identical to the donor
individual. The first animal produced by
means of this cloning technique with a
nucleus from an adult donor cell (as
opposed to a donor embryo) was a sheep
named Dolly, born in 1996. Since then a
number of other animals, including pigs,
horses, and dogs, have been generated by
reproductive cloning technology.
Recombinant DNA technology, on the
other hand, involves the insertion of one
or more individual genes from an
organism of one species into the DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid) of another.
Whole-genome replacement, involving
the transplantation of one bacterial
genome into the “cell body,” or
cytoplasm, of another microorganism, has
been reported, although this technology is
still limited to basic scientific applications.
Some examples of
GMO

Bt-Cotton: Some strains of Bacillus

thuringiensis produce proteins that kill
certain bacteria such as
lepidopterans(tobacco budworm,
armyworm),coleopterans(beetles) and
dipterans(flies, mosquitoes).
B.thuringiensis forms protein crystals
during a particular phase of their growth.
These crystals contain a toxic insecticidal
protein. The Bt toxin protein exist as
inactive protoxins but once an insect
ingest the inactive toxin, it is converted
into an active form of toxin due to the
alkaline pH of the gut which solubilise the
crystals. The activated toxin binds to the
surface of midgut epithelial cells and
create pores that cause cell swelling and
lysis and eventually cause death of the
insect.
Specific Bt toxin genes were isolated from
Bacillus thuringiensis and incorporated
into the several crop plants such as
cotton. The choice of genes depends upon
the crop and the targeted pest, as most Bt
toxins are insect-group specific. The toxin
is coded by a gene named cry. There are a
number of them, for example, the
proteins encoded by the genes cryIAc and
cryIIAb control the cotton bollworms, that
of cryIAb controls corn borer.
Pest Resistant Plants: Several
nematodes parasitize a wide variety of
plants and animals including human
beings. A nematode Meloidegyne
incognitia infects the roots of tobacco
plants and causes a great reduction in
yield. A novel strategy was adopted to
prevent the infestation which was based
on the process of RNA interference
(RNAi). RNAi takes place in all eukaryotic
organisms as a method of cellular
defence. This method involves silencing of
a specific mRNA due to a complementary
dsRNA molecule that binds to and
prevents translation of the mRNA. The
source of this complementary RNA could
be from an infection by viruses having
RNA genomes or mobile genetic elements
that replicate via an RNA intermediate.
Using Agrobacterium vectors, nematode -
specific genes were introduced into the
host plant. The introduction of DNA was
such that it produced both sense and anti-
sense RNA in the host cells. These two
RNA’s being complementary to each
other formed a double stranded (dsRNA)
that initiated RNAi and thus silenced the
specific mRNA of the nematode. The
consequence was that the parasite could
not survive in a transgenic host expressing
specific interfering RNA. The transgenic
plant therefore got itself protected from
the parasite.
GMO And The Environment
• Reduced inputs: Reduced inputs are
one of the biggest environmental benefits
of GMOs. A major advantage for over 18
million farmers globally who plant GMOs
is the ability to successfully grow crops
with fewer inputs, including reduced
pesticide applications and the fuel
needed to operate tractors to till the soil.
Over the last 25 years, GMOs have
reduced pesticide applications by 7.2%
and helped increase crop yields by 22%.
GM crop technology has improved yields
through improved control of pests and
weeds. As a result, farmers who grow GM
crops have reduced the environmental
impact associated with their crop
protection practices by 17.3 percent. By
making targeted improvements to crops
through genetic engineering, farmers can
produce more food for a growing world
population while reducing agriculture’s
impact on the environment.
• Increased efficiency: Another way in
which GMOs help the environment is
by allowing farmers to grow more
crops using less land. Genetically
modified traits such as insect and
disease resistance and drought
tolerance help to maximize yield by
minimizing crop loss to pests, diseases,
and adverse weather
conditions. Between 1996 and 2020,
crop biotechnology was responsible
for an additional 363.76 million tons of
soybeans, 655.87 million tons of corn,
40.78 million tons of cotton lint and
117.63 million tons of canola, without
having to bring more land into
production. To produce the same
amount of crops without GM
technology, farmers would have
needed to cultivate 57.8 million
additional acres of land, so in this case,
the environmental impact of
genetically modified crops is hugely
positive.
 Ethical issues related to
GMO
• The genetically modified organisms
introduced into the ecosystem could have
unpredictable results.
• Claiming the patent rights is another
problem that has cropped up for the
genetically modified organisms which are
created for meeting food and medicinal
requirements.
• 27 varieties of Basmati are cultivated in
India. This variety is known for its unique
flavour and long grains. An American
company cross-bred their semi-dwarf
varieties with the Indian Basmati and
claimed it to be a ‘new’ variety. The
company even got the patent rights for
the new variety without giving any
compensation to the respective country
or the farmers. This is known as biopiracy.
This would severely affect the
 biodiversity of the concerned areas and
harm the indigenous livelihoods.
• The developing and underdeveloped
parts of the world such as India, Africa,
etc. Have traditional knowledge of their
bio-resources. On the contrary,
industrially developed nations have poor
biodiversity. Hence, laws should be made
by developing nations to prevent the
exploitation of their resources.
• An initiative was taken by the
government in this aspect by setting up
the GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval
Committee) under the Environment
Protection Act, 1986. This body makes
laws and rules for the creation, use,
import and export and storage of
genetically modified organisms.
CONCLUSION
We have discussed the promising aspects of
Genetically Modified Organism that can bring
about tremendous changes in human life. However
the manipulation of living organisms by the human
race cannot go any further without regulation.
Some ethical standards are required to evaluate
the morality of all human activities that might help
or harm the living organisms. Going beyond the
morality of such issues, the biological significance
of such thing is also important. Genetic
modification of organisms can have unpredictable
results when such organisms are introduced into
the environment.
BIBILIOGRAPY
BIOLOGY NCERT TEXTBOOK CLASS 12
https://gmoanswers.com
nationalgeographic.org