BiotechnologyGenetic engineering – process of manipulating or changing

an organism’s genetic make-up or DNA • Usually done by using restriction enzymes to cut the DNA• Creates genetically modified organisms (GMO) or a

transgenic organism

Transgenic Organisms

Types of Genetic Engineering

Recombinant DNA – process of taking a piece of DNA and combining it with another strand of DNA

• 3 types: Bacterial transformation, phage introduction, non-bacterial transformation

• Used to mass produce insulin Plasmid (vector) – small circular piece of DNA that contains growth information for a bacterial cell– Used to carry the foreign DNA into a cell or to mass produce the foreign DNA

Gene therapy – experimental technique that used genes to treat or prevent disease

• Still in experimental stage• Possible diseases it could treat: cystic fibrosis,

hemophilia, muscular dystrophy, sickle-cell anemia, Parkinson’s disease

DNA fingerprinting – method of isolating and identifying

variable elements within the base-pair sequence of DNA• Uses gel electrophoresis and restriction enzymes • Creates a unique pattern of bands• Used for crime scene forensics, paternal disputes, and

body identification

Paternity Testing

Cloning – describes several processes used to produce genetically identical copies of a biological entity

• Creates a “clone”• Created naturally through asexual reproduction and

identical twins• 3 types: gene cloning (bacterial transformation),

reproductive cloning (whole organism), and therapeutic cloning (embryonic stem cells)

• Not always identical due to environmental influences on the genotypes and phenotype outcomes