COURSE 2 - BASIC RECOMBINANT DNA TECHNOLOGY
Genetic Engineering: The manipulation of an organism’s genetic material (DNA) by introducing or eliminating specific genes. Genetic transformation occurs when a cell takes up (takes inside) and expresses a new piece of genetic material—DNA. This new genetic information often provides the organism with a new trait that is identifiable after transformation. Genetic transformation literally means change caused by genes and involves the insertion of one or more gene(s) into an organism in order to change the organism’s traits. Genetic transformation is used in many areas of biotechnology. In agriculture, genes coding for traits such as frost, pest, or drought resistance can be genetically transformed into plants. In bioremediation, bacteria can be genetically transformed with genes enabling them to digest oil spills. In medicine, diseases caused by defective genes are beginning to be treated by gene therapy; that is, by genetically transforming a sick person’s cells with healthy copies of the defective gene that causes their disease. Genes can be cut out of human, animal, or plant DNA and placed inside bacteria. For example, a healthy human gene for the hormone insulin can be put into bacteria. Under the right conditions, these bacteria can make authentic human insulin. This insulin can then be used to treat patients with the genetic disease, diabetes because their insulin genes do not function normally.