Genetic Engineering

General Biology 2
Module 1
• Genetic engineering: Changing the DNA in
living organisms to create something new.
• This organisms are called Genetically
Modified Organism (GMO)

• Example:
• Bacteria that produce human insulin

• Genetically Modified organism are called

transgenic organism; since genes are
transferred from one organism to another.
Some genetic engineering techniques are
as follows:
1. Artificial selection
A. Selective breeding
B. Hybridization
C. Inbreeding

2. Cloning
3. Gene splicing
4. Gel electrophoresis: Analyzing DNA
ARTIFICIAL SELECTION: breeders choose
which organism to mate to produce
offspring with desired traits.
 What’s the
ancestor of
domesticated
dogs?
WOLF

Dog breeding is a perfect example of how humans select for desirable or

fashionable traits. There are three different types of breeds that exist:

1. Purebred is a type of dog that comes from a lineage of the same

dog breed and that has never mated with another breed. 
2. A cross-breed dog is a dog that was the offspring of two different
types of purebreds.
3. Finally, mixed-breeds are a combination of multiple breeds, where
their parents were not purebreds. 
Three types of artificial selection:
A. Selective breeding
B. Hybridization
C. Inbreeding
A. SELECTIVE BREEDING: when animals
with desired characteristics are mated to
produce offspring with those desired traits.
• Passing of important genes to next
generation.
• Example: Champion racehorses, cows with
tender meat, large juicy oranges on a tree.
• For example, people breed dogs for specific
purposes.
• Dachshund were once bred to hunt badgers
and other burrowing animals.
• They must be small to fit into the animal's hole
in the ground.
German Shorthaired Pointer Pinscher

Brake Bruno Jura Hound

• Selective breeding occurs when you choose
the best male and female to breed.
• This allows you to fine tune and control the
traits
• The offspring or babies will then have the best
traits.
• Then you continue to breed those organism
with the best traits, those traits will be
maintained.
Other examples of
selective breeding:

•Angus cows are bred to

increase muscle mass so
that we get more meat.

•Egg-Laying Hen-
produces more eggs than
the average hen
• B. HYBRIDIZATIONS: two
individuals with unlike
characteristics are crossed to
produce the best in both
organisms.
• Example: Luther Burbank
created a disease resistant
potato called the Burbank
potato.
• He crossed a disease resistant
plant with one that had a large
food producing capacity.
• Result: disease resistant plant
that makes a lot of potatoes.
Other examples of hybridization:
1. Liger: lion and tiger mix
2. Grape + apple= grapple. The fruit
tastes like grapes and looks like apple.
C. INBREEDING: breeding of organisms that are
genetically similar to maintain desired traits.
• Dogs breeds are kept pure this way.
• Its how a Doberman remains a Doberman.
• It keeps each breed unique from others.
• Risk: since both have the same genes, the
chance that a baby will get a recessive genetic
disorder is high.
• Risks: blindness, joint deformities.
• VARIATION: difference between individuals of
a species.
• The differences are in the genes, but we see
the physical differences.
• For example: Some humans have blond hair,
and some have brown. This is a variation
among humans.
• Some finches have short beaks, some have
long beaks.
• Inbreeding decreases
variations.
CLONING: creating an organism that is an
exact genetic copy of another.
• There are human clones in our school.
• identical twins are naturally created clones.
• Clone: group of cells or organisms that are
genetically identical as a result of asexual
reproduction
• They will have the same exact DNA as the
parent.
How could you clone a human?
• Step 1: An egg is removed from a female
human
• Eggs are haploid: 23 chromosomes.
• The nucleus of the egg is removed and is
thrown away.

23

EGG CELL
• Step 2: A body cell is removed from
another person.
• The nucleus of the body cell is removed
• Body cells are diploid: 46 chromosomes.

46

Body Cell
• Step 3:
• The nucleus of the diploid body cell is put into
the egg.
• This egg no longer needs to be fertilized
since it has all 46 chromosomes.

46

EGG CELL
• Step 4: The egg is then charged with
electricity to start mitosis.
• Step 5: Its then put into a surrogate mother so
it can grow.

• Its going to be genetically identical to the

parent of the body cell.
• But it will be a baby.

• Plants and animals can

be cloned.
Benefits of cloning:
1. You can make exact
copies of organisms
with strong traits.
2. Increase food supply
3. Medical purposes: Saber Tooth Tiger extinct
clone organs for
transplants.
4. Bring back or Stop
species from going
extinct.
Risks of cloning:
1. Decreases genetic
diversity
2. If one of your clones
gets a disease, they all
get it: same immune
system.
3. Inefficient: high failure
rate: 90%+
4. Expensive
3. GENE SPLICING: DNA is
cut out of one organism and
put into another organism
• A trait will be transferred from
one organism to another.
• For example: the human
insulin gene can be removed
from a human cell.
• It can be put into a bacterial
cell.
• The bacterial will now make
human insulin.
• This picture represents gene splicing.
• However, DNA is much smaller.
• Its done with high tech lab equipment since
DNA, is too small to hold or see without a
microscope.
The red piece the woman is
holding is an insulin gene
from a human being. It is
being combined with DNA
from a bacteria.
Creates recombinant DNA,
something that has never
existed before.
Benefits:
• insulin is cheaper
• There are no side
effects because it
is human insulin.
• We once used pig
insulin but there
are side effects
and it more
expensive.
• This is called transformation: when a gene
from one organism is transferred to different
organism.
• The organisms that have DNA transferred to
them are called transgenic organisms.

• trans: means different,

• genic: refers to genes

• Genetic engineering has given rise to a new

technological field called biotechnology
(technology of life).
1. Transgenic (GMO) animals: genes
inserted into animals, so they produce what
humans need.
• Why?: A way to improve the food supply:
A. Transgenic cows: gene inserted to
increase milk production.
B. Spider Goat: gene from spider inserted
into goat.
• Goats makes silk of the spider web in their
milk.
• Flexible, stronger than steel. Used in
bullet proof jackets.
C. Glow-in-the-Dark
Cats 
• Scientist used a virus to
insert DNA from jellyfish
• The gene made the cat
produce a fluorescent
protein in its fur.  
2. Transgenic bacteria: gene inserted into
bacteria, so they produce things humans
need.
• For example: insulin and clotting factors
in blood are now made by bacteria.
3. Transgenic plants: plants are given
genes, so they meet human needs.

A. Transgenic corn: given a gene so corn

produces a natural pesticide.
Now they don’t have to be sprayed with
cancer causing pesticides.
• 25% of all corn is like this.
B. Venomous cabbage
• gene from a scorpion tails inserted into
cabbage.
• Cabbage now produces that chemical.
• Why? Limit pesticide use while still preventing
insects from damaging crops.
• Corporations state the toxin is modified so it
isn’t harmful to humans.
C. Banana vaccines
• virus is injected into a banana, the virus DNA
becomes part of the plant.
• As the plant grows, it produces the virus proteins —
but not the disease part of the virus.

• When people eat a bite, their immune systems

creates antibodies to fight the disease — just like a
traditional vaccine

• Vaccines for hepatitis and cholera

4. GEL ELECTROPHORESIS:
a technique used to
compare DNA from two or
more organisms.

Why compare DNA:

1. Find your baby’s daddy
2. Who committed a crime.
3. How closely species are
related.