Bt eggplant is a genetically-modified eggplant developed by Filipino scientists. It was developed to become pest-resistance containing the gene of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis which contains toxins that are lethal to some insects including the pest bollworm. Currently, it is under controversy because of a legal battle between its supporters and those who are against it. Should the government ban the production, commercialization and consumption of the said Product?

Bt eggplant is a genetically-modified eggplant developed by Filipino scientists. It was developed to become pest-resistance containing the gene of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis which contains toxins that are lethal to some insects including the pest bollworm. Currently, it is under controversy because of a legal battle between its supporters and those who are against it. Should the government ban the production, commercialization and consumption of the said Product?

Human Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Course List)

11th Edition

ISBN:9781305251052

Author:Michael Cummings

Publisher:Michael Cummings

Chapter11: Genome Alterations: Mutation And Epigenetics

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 6QP: Although it is well known that X-rays cause mutations, they are routinely used to diagnose medical...

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Bacteria are often the preferred hosts for genetic engineering projects by splicing in novel genes from eukaryotes into plasmids, which are moved into competent bacteria. For instance, the gene for human insulin was isolated and moved into a bacterium, which can now produce the much-needed chemical. Previously, type 1 diabetics had to rely on professionals that gathered insulin from human cadavers, cows, and pigs. In order for this feat of genetic engineering to occur, researchers had to start with an unspliced mRNA transcript for h insulin. Agree/Disagree? Explain your response.
As shown , several medical agents are now commercially produced by genetically engineered microorganisms. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of making these agents this way.
Genetically modifying seeds to produce herbicide-resistant plants that increase crop yields has revolutionized modern agriculture. However, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have come under fire in recent years, with consumer groups calling for mandatory GMO labeling on all food packages that contain GMO ingredients. GMO labeling laws have been in force in the European Union and other countries for several years, but the threat to the U.S. food industry is only now surfacing. Although bills requiring GMO labeling have been introduced in many state legislatures, Vermont is the only state where such a law has so far withstood the first round of legal battles from the industry. Leading chemical companies, including Monsanto, BASF, and DuPont, are the world’s largest suppliers of seeds that grow the food that feeds the world. To counter the GMO labeling threat, they now are turning to mutagenesis as an alternative technique to create herbicide-resistant crops. Mutagenesis mimics the…
In Experiment I, you established that beneficial mutations are rare. In Experiment II, you showed that the environment does not affect the probability of a beneficial mutation occurring. Knowing this, why then are mutations responsible for antibiotic resistance in bacteria so common?
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are used to create human growth hormone, insulin and clotting factor proteins that are used to treat dwarfism, diabetes and hemophilia respectively. Several crops such as corn and soybean have also been genetically modified in order to facilitate either the management or growth of these crops. Why do you think there is push back or opposition against the use of GM food crops but not in the use of products such as insulin, which is also created using GMOs?
Considering the proclivity of bacteria to share genetic information, discuss the concerns behind phenomena such as antibiotic resistance. In other words, why might it be a bad idea to not finish your antibiotic therapy as prescribed by your physician? Some people think that "saving some for later" is a good idea. Why might that not be the case?
A research group is studying a bacterium X that binds to mucosal cells in the lung and invades. Wildtype X has an LD50 value of 10 bacteria when administered to mice by inhalation. Using transposon mutagenesis, the researchers have isolated two mutants of X that they call Xmut1 and Xmut2, both of which have LD50 values of 105 when inhaled by mice. However, in tissue culture cells, Xmut1 can invade the cells just as well as wild-type X, while Xmut2 cannot. Provide a possible explanation for these results.
In October 2002, the government of the African nation of Zambia announced that it was refusing to distribute 15,000 tons of corn donated by the United States, enough corn to feed 2.5 million Zambians for three weeks. The government rejected the corn because it was likely to contain genetically modified kernels. The government made the decision after its scientific advisers concluded that the studies of the health risks posed by GM crops “are inconclusive.” Do you agree with Zambia’s decision to turn away the corn? Why or why not? In your answer, consider that at the time, Zambia was facing food shortages, and 35,000 Zambians were expected to starve to death over the next six months. How do the risks posed by GM crops compare to the risk of starvation?
In your laboratory, you have an F − strain of E. coli that is resistant to streptomycin and is unable to metabolize lactose, but it can metabolize glucose. Therefore, this strain can grow on media that contain glucose and streptomycin, but it cannot grow on media containing only lactose. A researcher has sent you two E. coli strains in two separate tubes. One strain, let’s call it strain A, has an F factor that carries the genes that are required for lactose metabolism. On its chromosome, it also has the genes that are required for glucose metabolism. However, it is sensitive to streptomycin. This strain can grow on media containing lactose or glucose, but it cannot grow if streptomycin is added to the media. The second strain, let’s call it strain B, is an F − strain. On its chromosome, it has thegenes that are required for lactose and glucose metabolism. StrainB is also sensitive to streptomycin. Unfortunately, when strains A and B were sent to you, the labels had fallen off the…
Results from a Kirby Bauer antibiotic assay on a Gram-negative bacterial culture are described as follows: A) the bacterium is resistant to penicillin, an antibiotic that targets synthesis of the peptidoglycan cell wall and B) the bacterium is resistant to tetracycline, an antibiotic that targets the small subunit of the ribosome, inhibiting protein synthesis. Which of the results represents intrinsic resistant and which represents acquired resistants?
A student mixes some heat-killed type IIS Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria with live type IIR bacteria and injects the mixture into a mouse. The mouse develops pneumonia and dies. The student recovers some type IIS bacteria from the dead mouse. If this is the only experiment conducted by the student, has the student demonstrated that transformation has taken place? What other explanations might explain the presence of the type IIS bacteria in the dead mouse?
Some Covid 19 vaccines in development use the adenovirus, a common vector used in gene therapies, to inject the mRNa for the spike protein into human muscle cells. Why might vaccines using a virus vector be more likely to need only refrigeration and not deep-cold storage? Some older vaccines used a weakened strain of the pathogenic virus in the injection in the hope that the weakened virus would induce an immune response without causing disease. The virus vectors used in genetic engineering have all the harmful virus genes cut out and replaced with the foreign gene, such as one that makes a protein that is absent in the human patient. Which type of viral vaccine would you prefer to take as the safest option? Why?