The use of recombinant DNA technology can only benefit humans
The use of recombinant DNA technology can only benefit humans Recombinant DNA technology is the technology of preparing recombinant DNA in vitro by cutting up DNA molecules and splicing together fragments from more than one organism.(1) This is the process of using recombinant DNA technology to enable the rapid production of human protein from a single gene of insulin. Firstly the single gene required must be isolated. This can be done three ways: Either by working backwards from the protein- Finding the amino acid sequence for the protein needed, the order of bases can be established using known genetic code. New DNA can be made from this sequence of bases resulting in artificial gene made from complementary DNA. By using Messenger RNA- mRNA molecules carrying the code for insulin are common in the cytoplasm of insulin. Or using DNA probes to find the gene required-A probe is a short single strand of DNA carrying the known genetic code we are looking for. So the location of the DNA probe is known, it is labelled with a radioactive fluorescent marker. The aim is for the probe to attach to its complementary base sequence within DNA extracted from human cells. Secondly the gene has to be cut from its DNA chain. Controlling this process are many restriction endonucleases (restriction enzymes). Each of these enzymes cut DNA at a different base sequence called a recognition
Too Much Information: Genetic Testing
Too Much Information: Genetic Testing Biology OAC ISP Essay - By Daniel Perez Genetic testing offers a whole new world of information about us and how our bodies work. The data we get from delving into our own genetic code can help us to cure or even prevent disease, stop medical conditions such as cancer or cystic fibrosis from even manifesting, or even correct these sorts of errors before birth, and many other beneficial uses. However, at this point in time, all of this is beyond us. We have no miracle cures, no 'magic bullet' with which to fight disease or genetic conditions, in fact, our understanding of the genetic code is so limited that it's as if we cannot see the forest for the trees. We have taken our first baby steps into understanding human genetics with the completion of the Human Genome Project, and now that we have the big picture, we can begin to interpret it. Through information gleaned from our DNA, we now know that there are certain medical conditions that are caused by certain patterns within the genes. Some examples of these genetic conditions include Tay-Sach's disease, Bloom syndrome, Deafness, cystic fibrosis, and many other diseases (http://www.einstein.edu/e3front.dll?durki=7158). Although many of these conditions are fatal, the ones that are not can be treated early, even before symptoms develop when possible, or if not treated, at least monitored
Visit report
Visit report Garson's Farm *Aspect 1 the main aspect:- GM crops *Aspect 2 :- Pesticides *Target audience:- AS and A Level Biology students * Word count 1,892 Introduction Garson's farm is a family owned farm that is situated in London. The farm started off growing vegetables for the small markets in London. When the supermarket chains took over there was a higher demand for mass fruit and vegetables which led to the small markets and small shops losing business and shutting down. The bigger industrial farms sold their fruit and vegetables to the new supermarkets and Garson's farm could not compete with big demands. This led to the farm looking for other ways to keep their farm business going. This led to the idea of pick your own fruit. Garson's farm has been successful pick your own fruit farm now for over 25 years. (1) On our visit to Garson's farm our tour guide and part owner of the farm spoke of some of the many problems of growing fruit and crops in general for farmers. Examples of these are, having to deal with crops and fruit killing diseases that attacks the plants as well as other pests. Bob Garson said "that it is almost imposable for the farm to go completely organic because of the disease that now exist in the soil from the many years of growing plants on the same piece of land." Another reason it is hard for farms to become completely organic and
What do You Understand by Recombinant DNA Technology?
What do You Understand by Recombinant DNA Technology? Discuss the Moral, Ethical, Social, Economic and Environmental Issues Associated with the Technology, giving your views. There are two essential substances found inside bacterial cells required before the process can begin. Present in the cytoplasm of a bacterial cell are a number of small circular pieces of DNA known as plasmids. Also present within the bacterial cell are restriction enzymes which cut DNA molecules at specific sites. By selecting the correct restriction enzyme, DNA molecules from different organisms can be cut at predictable sites to extract specific genes from lengths of DNAi. The first task in the process is to isolate the required gene. This can be done in three different ways; working backwards from the protein, using messenger RNA, or using DNA probes. Once the gene has been isolated, the next step is to cut the gene from its DNA chain. This is done using the restriction enzymes (restriction endonucleases). Now we have the required gene the next stage is to insert it into a vector which will be used to produce the required protein. This is where the plasmids described earlier come in (this could also be done using a virus as a vector). The plasmid is cut using the same restriction enzyme as was used to cut the gene out. In a process called ligation (controlled by the ligase enzyme) the ends of the
