Genetically

Modified
Organisms
(GMO)
Learning Competencies

• Describe the process of genetic engineering.

• Conduct a survey of the current uses of
genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
• Evaluate the benefits and risks of using
GMOs.
 Group Activity

For each question below, evaluate your group response based on the following scale:

1– Strongly disagree;
2 – Disagree;
3 – Uncertain;
4 – Agree;
5 – Strongly agree.
If there is no consensus within the group, the group response will be the average of
all responses of the members of the group.
 1– Strongly disagree 4 – Agree
2 – Disagree 5 – Strongly agree
3 – Uncertain

1. I will eat different varieties

of fruits and vegetables
produced by classical
breeding.
 1– Strongly disagree 4 – Agree
2 – Disagree 5 – Strongly agree
3 – Uncertain

2. I will eat genetically-modified fruits that

contain toxins for pests but safe for humans
and other mammals, fish and birds.
 1– Strongly disagree 4 – Agree
2 – Disagree 5 – Strongly agree
3 – Uncertain

3. I will use bacteria-produced insulin if

I have diabetes where I cannot
produce insulin.
 1– Strongly disagree 4 – Agree
2 – Disagree 5 – Strongly agree
3 – Uncertain

4. If I have a mutated gene that makes my immune cells

defective, I will allow the use of gene therapy to
replace the mutated gene with the normal genein my
immune cells.
5. If the process is available, I will determine the eye
color or IQ of my future children.
 GENETIC ENGINEERING
AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Genetic engineering means modifying genes in a living

organism to produce genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
also known as transgenic organisms. It is a modern type of
genetic modification. In this process, the gene of interest is
physically removed and placed in an organism to be modified.
STEPS IN GENETIC
ENGINEERING
1. DNA Isolation
2. Ligation
3. Transformation
4. Selection
 DNA Isolation (isolating
plasmid and gene of
interest)

The first step in creating a

pest-resistant plant is isolating
the plasmid of Agrobacterium
and pest- resistant gene from
a bacteria, Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt).
 Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a gram-
negative soil bacteria cause crown
gall disease in plants but its tumor-
inducing plasmid is usually used in
genetic engineering because of its
ability to integrate its DNA into a
plant’s genome.
The resistant gene would be
obtained in the DNA of Bacillus
thuringiensis. This bacterium
produces a protein known as Cry1Ab
toxin that is lethal to the larval stage
of lepidopterans (moth family).
Ligation (gene insertion to the plasmid)
When the resistant gene is inserted
into the isolated plasmid, they are
cleaved using the same restriction
enzyme before they are combined
using DNA ligases. Restriction
enzymes are also called restriction
endonucleases. Once they
recognize a specific nucleotide
sequence, they cleave the strands.
 Transformation
(plasmid is placed back into
bacterial cell)

The recombinant plasmid would

then be placed back to the
bacterium in a process called
transformation.
 Selection
(identification of the desired clone)

The nutrient media with X-gal (special galactose sugar) are used to
select the transformed bacteria containing the recombinant
plasmid with the gene of interest.
The selected bacteria would then infect the cell of corn and
integrate the gene into the plant’s DNA. When the plant cell
divides, each daughter cell receives the new gene. The
transformed corn plant is now pest-resistant.
The inserted gene
producing the toxin
in the genetically
modified crop is only
lethal to specific
target pests.
 Current Uses of GMOs

– Escherichia coli creates a synthetic human insulin.

– Cyanobacteria is used to yield polyhydroxybutyrate to produce
bioplastic.
– Bt corn is a pest-resistant plant against corn-infesting larvae.
– Banana vaccine is an edible vaccine against hepatitis virus.
– Golden rice is a genetically modified rice that produces beta-
carotene.
 Current Uses of GMOs

– Bioluminescent animals are used to identify different types of

cells to detect diseases.
– Some bioluminescent animals such as glofish became novelty
pets to humans.
– Fast-growing salmon are genetically modified salmon to
continually produce growth hormones.
 Activity

What are the advantages and

disadvantages of GMOs?
 Advantages of GMOs

 Increased productivity. This enables farmers to have higher crop yields and reduced
pesticide use. (e.g. Bt corn)
 Reduced pesticide use. Since GM crops are modified for a specific pest, the use of
pesticide against that pest is reduced or removed.
 Improved nutrition like the high beta carotene content of Golden Rice. GM crops such
as Golden Rice with improved nutrition (high in beta carotene) reduces eye-related
problems like blindness due to malnutrition.
 Aided disease detection. Diseases can be identified because of protein trackers in
bioluminescent animals.
 Disadvantages of GMOs

 Reduced biodiversity of non-damaging insects. Pest resistant crops (e.g. Bt corn) lead to
unintended harm to non-crop damaging insects such as larvae of Monarch butterflies when
affected by pollen of Bt corn.
 Decreased pesticide effectivity. Pest resistant crops seem to reduce the need for pesticide at
first but it would increase later on.
 Produced allergic reactions. Some people develop an allergic response to GM crops when
exposed to them.
 Led to a higher cost for GM seeds. Farmers buy new seeds every year. Farmers using second
generation seeds would lead them to Supreme Court with a charge of patent infringement.