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Learning Activity 1-

Introductory Briefing

Content outline:

Concepts of biotechnology –

genes, genetic modification

GM food – development

and examples

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Concepts of biotechnology – genes,

genetic modification

• Genes are composed of Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA).

• DNA is in every cell of your body. DNA is more than a pretty molecule. It contains the information needed to construct and operate a human body.

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• DNA is arranged into distinct chromosomes--physically separate molecules that range in length from about 50 million to 250 million base pairs.

Concepts of biotechnology – genes,

genetic modification

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Concepts of biotechnology – genes,

genetic modification

chromosomesprotein cell

gene

DNA

Each cell:

46 human

Chromosomes

2 meters of DNA

3 billion DNA

subunits (the

bases: A, T, C, G)

Approximately

30,000 genes

code for proteins

that perform most

life functions

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• So a gene is a hereditary material, which carries biological information necessary to produce a protein(s) that determines the characteristics of an organism.

• There are many thousand genes in plant and animal cells.

Concepts of biotechnology – genes,

genetic modification

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Concepts of biotechnology – genes,

genetic modification

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• Different organisms have their own set of genes.

• Genetic modification is a technique of inactivating, modifying or adding genes to a living organism without having to go through the trial-and-error process of selective breeding.

Concepts of biotechnology – genes,

genetic modification

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Concepts of biotechnology – genes,

genetic modification

Some of the many varieties of dogs produced by hybridization and selection

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• Genetic modification aims to enhance or delete particular characteristics of an organism.

• Thus we can control the characteristics of an organism by gene modification.

• With the recent development of biotechnology, genetic modification can be practiced readily.

Concepts of biotechnology – genes,

genetic modification

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• Biotechnology can be regarded as the means or way of manipulating organisms to provide desirable products for man’s use.

Concepts of biotechnology – genes,

genetic modification

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GM food – development and examples 

• GM food refers to food or food ingredients that are, or derived from, organisms that have been modified using biotechnology techniques.

• The idea of genetic modification came from the traditional breeding. They have the same aim of the improvement of crop characteristics.

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GM food – development and examples

• Traditional breeding usually involves random transfer of thousands of genes at one time to obtain the desired characteristics.

• The process is slow and unpredictable.

• Scientists modified this laborious cross breeding technique into what we now familiarize technique of genetic modification.

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GM food – development and examples

• Genetic modification allows isolation of specific genes that control particular characteristics of crop using specialized enzymes.

• The genes can then be transferred into plant cells via

1) Ballistic impregnation – It involves sticking the genes on gold particles and hit on the plant cell. Some plant cells would take up the genes from the gold particles and then re-grow.

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2) Use of soil bacteria as a go-between – the soil bacteria Agrobacterium can change the genetic material of plant cells so that outgrowths are formed on the plant. The desired genes transferred to this bacteria is then incorporated into plant cells for producing the desired genetic characteristics.

GM food – development and examples

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GM food – development and examples

There are several important reasons to drive for the development of GM food.

1) Improvement in food characteristics such as yield, pest resistance, or herbicide tolerance, which cannot be achieved using traditional methods.

2) Crops with new qualities can be obtained, e.g. an improved nutritional status, better favors, easier to process or use of lesser amount of additives.

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GM food – development and examples

3) Improvement of our environment – reduce the use of insecticides or herbicides for pest control of crops.

4) Improving processing characteristics so as to reduce wastage and costs.

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• The GM food developed in the 90s.

• The first GM food appeared in the market was tomato (1994 USA).

GM food – development and examples

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• USA is the major GM food producer.

• Common examples of GM food are corn, soybean, tomato, potato, cotton, wheat, etc.

GM food – development and examples