GENERAL BIOLOGY II

Q1 M2
After going through this module, you are expected to:

1.Identify the different application of recombinant DNA

in various industries.
2.Discuss the applications of recombinant DNA
technology
 Directions: TRUE or FALSE. Write TRUE if the statement is correct and write
FALSE if the statement is incorrect. Write the answer on the separate sheet of
paper.
________1. Insulin extracted from the animals are chemically similar but not
identical to human insulin
________2. Yeast have plasmid that can be used as gene vectors that can take up
foreign DNA and integrate it into their genome.
________3. A vaccine is a harmful variant of pathogen that is used to inoculate
an infectious disease.
______ 4. Recombinant DNA of the hepatitis B infection surface antigen is
created in yeast cells to be remembered for the antibody.
_______5. Golden rice is a transgenic variety with bacterial genes produces
grains that contains beta-carotene, which our body uses to make
vitamin A.
For the past decades, DNA technology including
recombinant DNA technology and other methods for
studying and manipulating DNA have change the
future of human race. It open –up new opportunities in
the fields of mass production of gene product,
pharmaceutical industry and medicine, and
agriculture.
Production of Gene Products

Recombinant cells and organisms modified by DNA

technology are used nowadays to manufacture many
useful products. Bacteria are the best candidate for
manufacturing a protein product. Major advantages
of bacteria include the plasmid and the phages that
are used as gene cloning vectors and the fact that
bacteria can be grown rapidly and cheaply in large
tanks.
Bacteria are easy to be engineered to produce large
amounts of particular proteins. Engineered bacteria
like the E. coli(Escherichia coli) secrete the protein
products in the medium thus, it is easy for the
scientist to collect and synthesize it. Despite the
advantages of bacteria, it is equally important to
utilized eukaryotic cells to produce protein products.
The simplest and the most recommended
among the eukaryotic cells are the
Saccharomycetes cerevisiae or yeast. Similarly,
yeast also have plasmid that can be used as
gene vectors, it can also take up foreign DNA
and integrate it into their genome.
Some protein products require mammalian cells,
genes of these products are often cloned in bacteria
as a preliminary step, before it can be transfer.
Many proteins that mammalian cells normally
secrete are glycoprotein with chains of sugar
attached. Because only mammalian cells must be
used for making these kind of products. Here are
some of protein products of recombinant DNA
technology.
Pharmaceutical Industry and Medicine

DNA technology has already had a major impact on

the pharmaceutical industry and on human medicine.
Recombinant DNA establish its influence in the
different field of medicine such as: therapeutic
hormones; diagnosis and treatment of disease and;
development of vaccines.
 A. Therapeutic Hormones

Insulin and growth hormone (GH) were the first

pharmaceutical products made using recombinant DNA
technology. Before 1982, the main source of insulin were
pigs and cattle tissues obtained from the
slaughterhouse. Insulin extracted from the animals
are chemically similar but not identical to human insulin,
thus it causes harmful side effects in some people.
Genetic engineering solved this problem by developing
bacteria that actually synthesize and secretes human
insulin.
Growth hormone(GH) was harder to
find, children with GH deficiency had to
rely on human cadavers to acquire such
hormones. In 1985, scientist made an
artificial gene for GH by joining human
DNA fragment to a chemically
synthesized piece of DNA. Using this
gene, they were able to produce GH in E.
coli. Other hormones produce
because of the development of
recombinant DNA technology are the;
Blood Clotting Factor VIII
Blood clotting elements assume a fundamental
part in the administration of patients that
experience the ill effects of hemophilia, a
draining issue including the absence of capacity to
deliver sufficient blood clotting component VIII for blood
coagulation to work as ordinary. The capacity to make
recombinant blood coagulating factor VIII permits bigger
amounts to be utilized by and by and diminishes the
requirement for blood gift to get the factor normally. The
promising effect of blood clotting factor VIII enables the
scientist to see the brighter future for people who are
suffering from this kind of disease through recombinant
DNA technology.
B.Diagnosis and Treatment of Disease
DNA technology is likely to be used
increasingly in disease diagnosis.
Recombinant DNA has been utilized in the
advancement of the most well known analytic
procedures for HIV(Human
immunodeficiency virus) and to recognize the
presence of HIV in an individual.The neutralizer
test utilizes a recombinant HIV protein to quantify
antibodies in the body that multiply when there is an
HIV contamination.
The DNA test utilizes turnaround record polymerase
chain response (RT-PCR) to identify the presence of
HIV hereditary material. This method was created
utilizing the rDNA of atoms and investigating the
genome successions.
C.Vaccines
DNA technology is also helping medical scientist
develop vaccines. A vaccine is a harmless variant of a
pathogen that is used to prevent an infectious disease.
When a potential host is inoculated, the vaccine stimulates the
immune system to develop lasting defenses against the pathogen.
Especially for the many viral diseases for which there is no
effective drug treatment, prevention by vaccination is virtually
the only medical way to fight the disease. This method has been
used to make the vaccine against hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis B is
a disease of the liver that can be forestalled with the hepatitis B
antibody. Recombinant DNA of the
hepatitis B infection surface antigen is created in yeast cells to be
remembered for the antibody. This is gainful as the hepatitis
infection doesn't multiply in vitro and recombinant DNA gives a
technique to make the DNA expected to control hepatitis B.
Agriculture and the Genetically Modified Organism

A growing concern of most people nowadays is the

shortage of supply of food around the world. Scientist
concerned with feeding the growing human population are
using DNA technology to make genetically modified
organisms for use in agriculture.
Researchers can manipulate the DNA of a single
somatic cells and then grow a plant with a new trait
from the engineered cells. Already in commercial use
are a number of crop plants carrying new genes for
the desired traits like delayed ripening, and
resistance to spoilage and disease.
Many of the genetically modified(GM) plants have received
genes for herbicide resistance. For example, a number of
varieties of soybeans and cotton carry a bacterial gene that
makes the plants resistant to herbicides. Currently, the most
common crops are the Bt cotton, Bt soybeans, Bt eggplants
and Bt corn that contains genes from Bacillus thuringiensis
which makes the crops resistant to certain insect pest.
The nutritional value of crop plants is also
being improved. ‘Golden rice,” a transgenic
variety with daffodil genes produces grains that
contains beta-carotene, which our body uses to
make vitamin A.
Today, scientist is also exploring the possibilities of making
transgenic farm animals, though at present only on an
experimental basis. The goals tend to be the same as those
of traditional breeding to improve the quality of farm animal
products. However, the development of transgenic farm
animals is proceeding slowly due to some encountered
problem with the animals such as increased susceptibility
to disease and low fertility.
Directions: Classify the different applications of recombinant
DNA technology. Write A- agriculture, PM – Pharmaceutical
industry and medicine & GP -Production of gene products
______1. Golden rice ______6. Human Growth
Hormone

______2. Bt corn ______7. Bt cotton

______3. Hepatitis B ______8. Bt soybeans

______4. HIV ______9. Human Insulin

______5. Blood coagulating factor VIII ______10. Interferons

Activity 2.3: Practice writing scientific names.
Change the following microbial names to make them
scientifically correct according to binomial
nomenclature.
Activity 2.4 Explain the following.
Recombinant DNA techniques are used to custom –
build bacteria for two main reasons: to make a
multiple copies of desired genes and to obtain useful
proteins. Give an example of each of these
applications in the field of pharmaceutical, medicine
and agriculture.
Directions: In a minimum of 10 sentences, present
your ideas about the condition of recombinant DNA
technology in our country today. Give situation to
prove your point.