TRANSGENIC ORGANISMS

By: Olivia Stanton

What is a transgenic organism?~ a transgenic, or genetically modified, organism is one that has been altered through recombinant DNA technology, which involves either the combining of DNA from different genomes or the insertion of foreign DNA into a genome

GloFish

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GloFish.jpg

How transgenic organisms work…Three Main Methods… DNA Microinjection

A foreign gene is directly injected into a fertilized egg that is put into a female animal that acts as a surrogate mother for the egg.

Retrovirus-Mediated Gene Transfer A retrovirus is a virus that attaches to an organism’s DNA and

changes it to include a new characteristic. Scientists expose ordinary cells to a retrovirus when they are trying to create transgenic animals.

Embryonic Stem Cell-Mediated Gene Transfer Stem cells are blank cells that can turn into any type of cell.

Scientists modify these cells, and then add them to an embryo, which is a fertilized egg that develops and grows until it hatches or is born.

A foreign gene is directly injected into a fertilized egg that is put into a female animal that acts as a surrogate mother for the egg.

DNA Microinjection

A retrovirus is a virus that attaches to an organism’s DNA and changes it to include a new characteristic. Scientists expose ordinary cells to a retrovirus when they are trying to create transgenic animals.

Retrovirus-Mediated Gene Transfer

Stem cells are blank cells that can turn into any type of cell. Scientists modify these cells, and then add them to an embryo, which is a fertilized egg that develops and grows until it hatches or is born.

Embryonic Stem Cell-Mediated Gene Transfer

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES Agriculture

Breeding Quickly produce animals with

desired traits

Quality Cows that produce more milk, pigs

and cattle that have more meat, sheep that grow more wool, etc.

Disease Resistant

Medicine Xenotransplantation

Animals produce organs that can be used in transplants

Nutritional Supplements Pharmaceuticals Human Gene Therapy

Industry Production of useful materials

Ex] Spider Goat ~ makes silk

Animal Welfare Mutants can form from the

DNA placed in the organism

Success rate of making a transgenic organism is very low Ex] Gene transfer studies

revealed that only 0.6% of transgenic pigs were born with a desired gene after 7,000 eggs were injected with a specific gene.

The spider goat produces large amounts of silk, with this silk industries are able to create light, tough, flexible material that can be used in such applications as military uniforms, medical microstructures, and tennis racket strings.

Spider Goat

Future Implications

Agriculture Breeding

Quickly produce animals with desired traits Quality

Cows that produce more milk, pigs and cattle that have more meat, sheep that grow more wool, etc.

Disease Resistant Medicine

Xenotransplantation Animals produce organs that can be used in transplants

Nutritional Supplements Pharmaceuticals Human Gene Therapy

Industry Production of useful materials

Ex] Spider Goat ~ makes silk

Works Cited

Margawati, Endang Tri. (2003) Transgenic Animals:

Their Benefits to Human Welfare.ActionBioscience.

Pray, Leslie. (2008) Recombinant DNA technology and

transgenic animals. Nature Education.