GENETIC ENGINEERING

Opening the book of life … or pandora’s box?

The beginnings 1869

DNA isolated 1944

DNA proved to be the hereditary material

1953DNA structure determined

Image Credit : www.chem.ucsb.edu/

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS

Working with DNA 1961

DNA can be split on heating and stuck back together again on cooling (reannealing) DNA hybridisation possible

1962The first restriction endonucleases discoveredMolecular scissors

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS

Working with DNA 1966

The genetic code worked outDiscovered to be a universal code

1967DNA ligase discoveredMolecular glueFragments of DNA can be stuck together

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS

Recombinant DNA technology 1973

DNA cloning carried out on bacteriaGene identifiedCut with restriction enzymeSpliced into a plasmid using ligasePlasmid reintroduced into a bacterium

Gene copied whenever the bacterium divides

Non-bacterial gene can be expressed in the bacterium

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS

Recombinant DNA technology 1977

Rapid sequencing of DNA developed

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS

Recombinant DNA technology 1982

Transgenic mice and fruit flies produced

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS

Recombinant DNA technology 1983 Polymerase chain reaction invented 1985 Genetic fingerprinting developed

Image Credit: Kary Mullis

Image Credit: Sir Alec Jeffreys

Medecine 1989

Cystic fibrosis gene cloned and sequenced 1990

Trials for gene therapy begin

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS

Agriculture 1994

Genetically modified organisms for food

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS

Human Genome Project 1990-2003 The human genome worked outGoals of the human genome project identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000

genes in human DNA determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical

base pairs that make up human DNA store this information in databases improve tools for data analysis transfer related technologies to the private sector address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI)

that may arise from the project

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/project/about.shtml

Genomics Today:

Over 70 Eukaryotes sequenced About 25 of these are mammalsOver 350 prokaryotes have been sequenced

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS