Application of recombinant DNA technology

Question 1

Population genetics

Answer 1

change in genetic information among individuals over generations

Question 2

What are the general approaches to biotechnology?

Answer 2

Express a cloned gene or cDNA in a transformed organism using an expression vector appropriate to the host organism (range from bacteria to mammals). Edit genes by introducing small mutations in the form of single nucleotide change or indels.

Question 3

Genetic engineering in mammals

Answer 3

Proteins are easy to isolate via milk; gene of interest is placed next to promoter active only in mammary tissue (beta-lactoglobin); recombinant DNA is microinjected into ova, and each ovum implanted into foster mother; transgenic offspring are detected by PCR; at maturity the beta-lactoglobin promoter is activated and the GOI is expressed and the product of interest is obtained from milk

Question 4

Two major methods for transformation in plants

Answer 4

Ti plasmid from Agrobacterium tumefaciens; gene gun to inject DNA coated micropellets into cells

Question 5

How is a Ti plasmid modified?

Answer 5

By modifying the T-DNA portion that causes tumor production; also is genetically modified to include polylinker and drug resistance genes such as kanamycin resistance

Question 6

Why do you want to allow bacteria to infect plant cells?

Answer 6

So the bacteria containing recombinant DNA can insert the T-DNA portion into the plant genome

Question 7

Golden rices

Answer 7

two daffodil genes and a bacterial gene spliced into the rice genome to produce more b-carotene, precursor to Vitamin B