Transgenic Plants And Its Effects Essay

Genetically modified microorganisms are microorganisms/organisms which have been genetically altered meaning that their genetic materials have been modified. This modification is achieved through a technological method, genetic engineering. Genetic engineering also known as recombinant DNA technology/genetic modification is a science that employs molecular biology techniques so as to modify or alter the genome of an organism. It involves manipulation of an organism’s genome directly by use of biotechnology. Typically, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which is an exogenous genetic material, is inserted in the host genome. This is done by isolating and copying the genetic material in question using a method known as molecular cloning so as to generate a DNA sequence. That is, the gene that will be inserted into the organism to be modified is first selected/chosen and then isolated. This can be done using restriction enzymes so as to slice DNA into fragments and gel electrophoresis. This separates them as per their length. Artificial synthesis may be applied in a case whereby the DNA sequence is known, but there are no available copies of the gene. For the gene that is to be inserted into the GMO to work properly, it must be combined with other genetic elements. Modification of the gene can also be done at this point to enhance effectiveness. The resulting microorganism through genetic engineering is a genetically modified

The concept of intentionally altering an organism’s DNA in order to produce genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has been critically analyzed by both science and the mainstream media in the last decade. However, the genetic modification of organisms is not a recent innovation as humans have been modifying organisms for over 30 000 years (Rangel, 2015). Back then, breeding through artificial selection was the most prominent method of genetic engineering. Organisms with the most desirable traits would be bred together in order to create a new generation of superior organisms. Throughout the centuries, the developments in science and technology have resulted in new methods of genetic engineering. Now, genomes can be spliced in order to insert or remove genes. It has essentially come down to a copy and paste process with genes from animals being inserted into plants as the common practice.

Would you trust a person that was created in a laboratory? When you eat gmos you are putting your future health in the hands of companies that may only in it for the money. Gmos (genetically modified organism) are living organisms that have genes that have been changed in a laboratory by genetic engineering (nongmoproject). This science makes unstable combinations of plant, animals, bacteria, and viral genes. They are made by taking a organism say a plant then adding DNA from a different plant, bacteria, or virus to it. Giving the original new qualities that it would not be able to have in nature or through crossbreeding methods(webMD). There are eight crops that are genetically modified on a commercial scale in the U.S. These include: Corn, canola, soy, cotton, sugar beets, alfalfa, papaya, zucchini and yellow summer squash. In the United States, 80% of everyday processed foods contain some sort of gmo. (Gmo project) They are important today because millions of people eat gmos everyday; however the long term effects on people are still unknown. Major restaurants such as Chipotle have already stopped using genetically modified ingredients in their food. They stopped using gmos because they believe their customers should have a restaurant where they can eat fresh, natural food, and should not have to take a health risk to eat their favorite foods(Chipotle). The other side of the fence is that gmos give us the ability to make

(Micahael Wald “GMO-genetically modified organisms dangerous or necessary?" Health reference center academic) There are many steps involved in the development of genetically modified organisms crops; the gene first needs to be isolated then inserted into a transder vector. A plasmid or circular model of DNA is used to transfer the isolated gene from the naturally occurring soil bacterium, then the gene of rDNA of interest is used to be inserted into the plasmid, the cell that’s now containing the plasmid and the new gene is then combined with the original cells from the plant, then the cells take up the plasmid containing the transfer DNA and changes gene that are responsible for the resistance are inserted into the plasmid and transferred with the genes that contain the desired traits. The cells that are exposed to antibiotic, and herbicide only the cells that were transformed survive. Cells that are transformed can be regenerated to form plants by culturing tissue. Once genetically modified plants are grown, certain tests are used to determine the number of copies the gene inserted, and if the copies are intact and the gene function. The

Transgenic Corn- Bt corn is one of the many corn varieties which has become both commercially and ecologically popular, it is corn that is essentially invulnerable to Caterpillars and Other Boring insects because of this and the need not to intensively use weedkiller on the affected corn Farmers can cut down on the use of Roundup and other weed killers and insecticides.

This procedure has also been performed successfully in the lab with dicots, broadleaf plants, soybeans and tomatoes for many years. Through this procedure, the desired gene and marker is inserted into the tDNA of the plasmid. Tissues of the organism are then transferred to a medium containing an antibiotic or herbicide in order to tell if the organism has successfully taken up the desired gene because only the tissues expressing the marker will survive. These tissues are then grown under controlled environmental conditions in tissue cultures containing nutrients and hormones so that whole plants are grown. When plants are grown and have produced seed, an evaluation of the progeny is done making sure that the desired traits have been passed on (Understanding GMOs).

Biological concepts and processes:- The abbreviation for genetically modified organism1 is a GMO. A GMO is an organism whose genome2 has been altered by the techniques of genetic engineering3 so that its DNA4 contains one or more genes not normally found there.

For the last several decades, the world has been plagued by widespread starvation and poverty. Economies are failing in numerous countries, and developing nations struggle to feed their inhabitants. As a result of the world’s mounting overpopulation, food has become scarce and resources are rapidly dwindling. However, modern science has provided a solution: agricultural biotechnology. Genetically engineered crops represent the bright future of agriculture. Crops like cotton, corn, and soybeans can have genes inserted or deleted into their cell membranes; this modification facilitates pest and virus resistance, drought tolerance, and even provides nutritional enhancement. Genetically altered crops produce much higher

In this report, I will discuss the Bt corn (and GMOs) and its biological concepts and processes.

Biotechnology in agriculture is a collection of scientific techniques used to improve or modify plants and microorganisms. Simplistic examples of biotechnology are employing yeast, molds, and bacteria to create fermented foods such as milk and cheese, or crossbreeding plants in hope of improving agriculture. The benefits of biotechnology in agriculture increased over the past few decades after scientists discovered that DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is interchangeable among plants, animals and other organisms, alike. This allows scientists to invent new products through both crossbreeding and a transfer of genes. Nearly any desirable trait found in nature can be transferred to a select organism. This process of transferring DNA from one to another is referred to as genetic engineering (The United States Mission to the European Union:1999).

Dr. John visited Norfolk State University on behalf of the Department of Ecology at the University of Georgia. He came to share information about invasive plants and the ecological research that he and others have conducted on it; his talk was entitled “Computational Botany for Invasive Species Decision Support, Risk Analysis, and Policy.”

By maintaining a largely fact-based and scientific perspective throughout the book, Fedoroff furthers her credibility. Plant biotechnology is Fedoroff’s life’s work, earning her a plethora of honors and awards. Thus, it is only natural for her to be more in favor of the pro-plant biotechnology view she argues for in her book. However, Fedoroff maintains a neutral stance for the rest of her

Many people today are often amazed by the amount of nutrition and health information required for humans. The constant stream of genetic modification of food can be confusing. Genetically modified (GM) foods are plants and animals that have had their genetic makeup artificially altered by scientists to make them grow faster, taste better, last longer and to provide more nutrients. Scientists make these alternations by transferring genes from one organism into another in order to change the condition or character of the receiving organism. This process is known as biotechnology or genetic engineering (GE), and it has revolutionized the way that agriculture is practiced in many parts of the world. Researchers are now able to use GE

Instead of transferring large blocks of genes from donor plant to recipient, small isolated blocks of genes are put into the plant chromosome through biolistics, vectors, or protoplast transformation (Horsch 1993). Biolistics is a technique that shoots the gene block into the potential host cell. In order for the process to succeed, the microscopic particles and DNA must enter the cell nuclei and combine with the plant chromosome. Biolistics is commonly used but has a slight failure risk since the breeder has little control over the destination of the gene block (Mooney & Bernardi 1990). Bacteria or viruses can also carry the gene blocks into a new cell. Common vectors in gene transfer between plants are Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Agrobacterium rhizogenes. In the soil, the bacteria will infect the plants with their own plasmid, transferring the desired gene that was placed in the bacteria's DNA. Vector gene transfer is a preferred method of transformation since this modification already occurs naturally in the environment (Rudolph & McIntire 1996). Last is protoplast transformation, which uses enzymes to dissolve the cellulose in the plant wall that leaves a protoplast. Once a specific gene block is added to the protoplast, the cell wall will re-grow into a transgenic plant.

The coding region of the gene is usually fused to a promoter, most commonly used is the 35S promoter from cauliflower mosaic virus (CMV), in order to promote higher expression levels. (Snow et. al, 1997) The popular method for genetic engineering of crop plants is natural gene transfer via an Agrobacterium tumefaciens vector, a bacterium normally found in soils. The transfer-DNA (T-DNA) vector is made by inserting the desired gene fragment in between specific 25bp repeat domains in the bacterium. The vector is then inserted into the Agrobacterium and "the virulence gene products of Agrobacterium actively recognize, excise, transport, and integrate the T-DNA region into the host plant genomes." (Conner et. al, 1999) The amount of DNA transferred is only about 10kb and the nature of the gene is usually well understood. The expression of the gene introduced can also be controlled by adding additional sequences that might allow the gene to be constitutively expressed, expressed only in certain cell types, or expressed as a result of different environmental changes. This method of gene transfer, however, will only work for the natural host range of the bacterium and therefore other methods are used for additional crop plants. Such methods are uptake of naked DNA by electroporation or particle gun bombardment. The use of genetic markers, as mentioned previously, allows for the preferential growth of cultures that contain the new genetic