1 Biotechnology by Ali Ghanbari

2 Competencies: ‰ define biotechnology, DNA, and other related terms ‰ compare methods of plant and animal improvement ‰ discuss historic applications of biotechnology ‰ explain the concept of genetic engineering

3 Competencies: ‰ describe applications of biotechnology in agriscience ‰ state some safety concerns and safeguards in biotechnology

4 Terms to Know ‰ Bio ‰ Clone ‰ Gene splicing ‰ Improvement by selection ‰ Genetic Engineering ‰ Recombinant DNA technology ‰ Selective breeding

5 Terms to Know ‰ Nucleic acid ‰ Gene mapping ‰ Genetics ‰ Bases ‰ Insulin ‰ Heredity ‰ Adenine (A)

6 Terms to Know ‰ Ice-minus ‰ Genes ‰ Guanine (G) ‰ X-Gal ‰ Generation ‰ Cytosine (C) ‰ Bovine somatotropin (BST)

7 Terms to Know ‰ Progeny ‰ Thymine (T) ‰ Porcine somatotropin (PST) ‰ Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) ‰ Mapping

8 Introduction ‰ Biotechnology is a tool of agriscience ‰ Promises unprecedented advancements ‰ Has real dangers ‰ Definition of Biotechnology

9 Historic Applications Living organisms have been used for centuries to alter and improve the quality and types of food for humans and animals ‰ Yeast to make bread rise ‰ Bacteria to ferment sauerkraut ‰ Bacteria to produce cheese and other dairy products ‰ Microorganisms to make alcoholic beverages ‰ Bacteria in silage production

10 Improving Plant and Animal Performance ‰ Improvement by Selection ‰ Improvement by Genetics ‰ Improvement by Biotechnology

11 Improvement by Selection ‰ Soon followed domestication of the dog, horse, sheep, goat, ox and other animals thousands of years ago ‰ Purchasing, selling, bartering and trading got people animals with desirable traits ‰ Mating plants and animals with desirable traits resulted in selective breeding ‰ Historical evidence in the development of the horse

12 Improvement by Genetics ‰ Gregor Johann Mendel ‰ Austrian Monk who is credited with discovering the effect of genetics on plant characteristics ‰ Experimented with garden peas ‰ Published findings in 1866 ‰ People didn’t pay much attention

13 Improvement by Genetics ‰ Mendel’s work would have been lost if not recorded ‰ 1900 other scientist reviewed, built upon his observations, and conclusions ‰ Today Gregor Johann Mendel is credited for discovering the principles of heredity

14 Improvement by Biotechnology ‰ Improvement by manipulating the genetic content of cells ‰ Permits more choices for the researcher, more rapid observation of results ‰ New capability with amazing implications

15 DNA - Genetic Code of Life ‰ Over 300,000 kinds of plants ‰ Over 1 million kinds of animals ‰ All are different in some ways ‰ All plants and animals are alike in some ways ‰ All contain DNA

16 DNA - Genetic Code of Life ‰ Cloning is common scientific knowledge ‰ Early 1980’s Genetic Engineering developed ‰ 1867 Friedrich Meischer discovered DNA which is similar in all living cells ‰ structure ‰ function ‰ composition ‰ transmitter of hereditary information

17 DNA - Genetic Code of Life ‰ DNA occurs in pairs of strands intertwined ‰ Connected by chemicals called bases ‰ Likened to the two sides of a wire ladder ‰ Bases likened to the rungs and include: ‰ Adenine (A) ‰ Guanine (G) ‰ Cytosine (C) ‰ Thymine (T)

18 DNA - Genetic Code of Life ‰ Examples of traits: ‰ hair color ‰ tendency for baldness ‰ height of plants at maturity ‰ tendency of females to have twins ‰ Gene Splicing ‰ Gene Mapping

19 Solving Problems with Microbes ‰ Microscopic plants and animals lend themselves to genetic engineering ‰ Produce quickly and can be genetically engineered to produce products need by other plants, animals, and humans ‰ One of first commercial products was insulin ‰ Used by people with diabetes to control their blood sugar levels

20 Improving Plants and Animals ‰ first use of ice- minus ‰ 1988 use of genetically altered bacteria for Dutch Elm Disease ‰ BST and PST ‰ Roundup and Liberty Ready corn and soybeans ‰ BT Corn

21 Improving Plants and Animals ‰ Genetic engineering and other forms of biotechnology hold great promise in controlling: ‰ Diseases ‰ Insects ‰ Weeds ‰ Other pests ‰ Environment will be enhanced

22 Waste Management ‰ Environmental Pollution is a major problem ‰ Landfills are becoming full ‰ Old dump sites are creating problems ‰ Waste is piling up ‰ Sewage and chemical disposal is a constant problem

23 Waste Management ‰ Genetically altered bacteria are used to feed on oil slicks and spills ‰ Bacteria are being developed to decompose or deactivate dioxin, PCBs, insecticides, herbicides, and other chemicals ‰ Bacteria are under development to convert solid wastes into sugars and fuel

24 Safety in Biotechnology ‰ Federal and state governments monitor biotechnology closely ‰ Fear of genetically modified organisms ‰ Policies, procedures and laws have been developed ‰ Gaining in public confidence