Transgenic Animals and Plants
Transgenic Animals and Plants
What is a transgenic animal/plant?
A transgenic animal or plant is one that has a foreign gene (called a "transgene") inserted into its DNA. Transgenic animals and plants are sometimes called "genetically modified organisms" or GMO 's for short.
What is a transgene?
A transgene is the foreign gene that has been moved from one organism into a new organism by genetic engineering. For example, a bacterial gene that is inserted into a plant 's DNA would be a transgene.
What is the difference between traditional plant and animal breeding and transgenic technology?
In traditional plant or animal breeding, a plant or animal with a desired trait is mated with an existing plant or animal, to transfer the desired trait to the offspring. Of course, the only genes that are involved are the genes already present in the parental plants or animals. For example, if you mate rabbits, the only genes that you can expect to find in the baby rabbits are rabbit genes, which came from a rabbit egg and a rabbit sperm.
In transgenic technology, by contrast, a single gene from one organism, say a camel, could be inserted (by injection) into fertilized rabbit eggs. The camel gene would insert itself into the rabbit 's DNA in some of the eggs (the success rate of this is fairly low). The rabbit eggs would then be returned to a female rabbit 's womb, where the baby rabbits would develop. The eggs where a camel gene is inserted will divide and pass on the camel gene into all the cells of the developing baby rabbit, so that when it is born all of its cells now have a camel gene in them. As you can imagine, there is no "natural" way that a rabbit would mate with a camel and end up with camel genes, but with transgenic technology this is made possible. Transferring genes across species by this technology has made it possible to put human genes into goats, bacterial genes into plants and jellyfish genes into frogs.
Why would anyone want to do
What is a transgenic animal/plant?
A transgenic animal or plant is one that has a foreign gene (called a "transgene") inserted into its DNA. Transgenic animals and plants are sometimes called "genetically modified organisms" or GMO 's for short.
What is a transgene?
A transgene is the foreign gene that has been moved from one organism into a new organism by genetic engineering. For example, a bacterial gene that is inserted into a plant 's DNA would be a transgene.
What is the difference between traditional plant and animal breeding and transgenic technology?
In traditional plant or animal breeding, a plant or animal with a desired trait is mated with an existing plant or animal, to transfer the desired trait to the offspring. Of course, the only genes that are involved are the genes already present in the parental plants or animals. For example, if you mate rabbits, the only genes that you can expect to find in the baby rabbits are rabbit genes, which came from a rabbit egg and a rabbit sperm.
In transgenic technology, by contrast, a single gene from one organism, say a camel, could be inserted (by injection) into fertilized rabbit eggs. The camel gene would insert itself into the rabbit 's DNA in some of the eggs (the success rate of this is fairly low). The rabbit eggs would then be returned to a female rabbit 's womb, where the baby rabbits would develop. The eggs where a camel gene is inserted will divide and pass on the camel gene into all the cells of the developing baby rabbit, so that when it is born all of its cells now have a camel gene in them. As you can imagine, there is no "natural" way that a rabbit would mate with a camel and end up with camel genes, but with transgenic technology this is made possible. Transferring genes across species by this technology has made it possible to put human genes into goats, bacterial genes into plants and jellyfish genes into frogs.
Why would anyone want to do
References: 1. http://www.science.siu.edu/microbiology/micro302/transgenic.html 2. “Science for environment policy” European commission DG environment news alert service edited by bio intelligence service. 3. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia.