Biotechnology in medicine and agriculture

It is easy to see how the biotechnology can be used in medicine. Knowledge of the genetic makeup of our species, the genetic basis of inherited diseases, and the invention of technology to manipulate and fix mutant genes provide methods of treating disease. The biotechnology in agriculture It can increase resistance to diseases, pests and environmental stress to improve both crop yield and quality.

Genetic diagnosis and gene therapy

The process of examining suspected genetic defects before administering treatment is called diagnosis genetic through genetic testing. In some cases where a genetic disease is present in an individual's family, family members may be advised to undergo genetic testing. For example, mutations in the BRCA genes can increase the chance of developing breast and ovarian cancer in women and some other cancers in women and men. A woman with breast cancer can be screened for these mutations.

If one of the high-risk mutations is found, her female relatives may also want to be screened for that particular mutation, or simply be more vigilant for cancers. Genetic testing for fetuses (or embryos with IVF) is also offered to determine the presence or absence of disease-causing genes in families with specific debilitating diseases.

La gene therapy it's a technique genetic engineering that one day it can be used to cure certain genetic diseases. In its simplest form, it involves introducing a non-mutated gene into a random place in the genome to cure a disease by replacing a protein that may be absent in these individuals due to a genetic mutation.

The unmutated gene is usually introduced into cells sick as part of a vector transmitted by a virus, like an adenovirus, which can infect the host cell and deliver foreign DNA into the genome of the target cell (Figure 10.8). To date, gene therapies have been primarily experimental procedures in humans. Some of these experimental treatments have been successful, but the methods may be important in the future as factors limiting their success are resolved.

Production of vaccines, antibiotics and hormones

Traditional vaccination strategies use weakened or inactive forms of microorganisms or virus to stimulate the immune system. Modern techniques use specific genes from microorganisms cloned into vectors and mass produced in bacteria to manufacture large amounts of specific substances to stimulate the immune system.

The substance is then used as a vacuna. In some cases, such as the vacuna against flu H1N1, cloned virus genes have been used to combat the constantly changing strains of this virus.

The antibiotics kill bacteria and they are naturally produced by microorganisms such as fungi; penicillin is perhaps the best known example. Antibiotics are produced on a large scale by cultivating and handling cells mushroom. Fungal cells have typically been genetically engineered to improve the performance of the antibiotic compound.

Already in 1978 the DNA technology recombinant to produce on a large scale the human hormone insulin in E. coli. Previously, it was only possible to treat diabetes with pig insulin, which caused allergic reactions in many humans due to differences in the insulin molecule. Additionally, Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is used to treat growth disorders in children. The HGH gene was cloned from a complementary DNA library and inserted into E. coli cells by cloning it into a bacterial vector.

Transgenic animals

 

Although several recombinant proteins used in medicine are successfully produced in bacteria, some proteins require a eukaryotic animal host for proper processing. For this reason, genes have been cloned and expressed in animals such as sheep, goats, chickens, and mice. Animals that have been modified to express recombinant DNA are called animals. GM.

Several human proteins are expressed in the milk of transgenic sheep and goats. In a commercial example, the FDA has approved a blood anticoagulant protein that is produced in the milk of transgenic goats for use in humans. Mice have been widely used to express and study the effects of recombinant genes and mutations.

Transgenic plants

Manipulation of plant DNA (creation of genetically modified organisms, or GM) has helped create desirable traits such as resistance to diseases, herbicides, and pests, better nutritional value, and better shelf life (Figure 10.10). Plants are the most important source of food for the human population. Farmers developed ways to select plant varieties with desirable traits long before modern biotechnological practices were established.

Transgenic plants have received DNA from other species. Because they contain unique combinations of genes and are not restricted to the laboratory, transgenic plants and others GM They are closely watched by government agencies to ensure they are fit for human consumption and do not endanger other plant and animal life.

Since foreign genes can spread to other species in the environment, particularly plant pollen and seeds, extensive testing is necessary to ensure ecological stability. Staple foods like corn, potatoes, and tomatoes were the first crop plants to be genetically modified.

Plant transformation using Agrobacterium tumefaciens

In plants, tumors caused by the Agrobacterium tumefaciens bacteria occur by transfer of DNA from the bacteria to the plant. The artificial introduction of DNA into plant cells is more difficult than in animal cells due to the thick cell wall of the plant.

The researchers used natural transfer of DNA from Agrobacterium to a plant host to introduce DNA fragments of their choice into plant hosts. In nature, disease-causing A. tumefaciens have a set of plasmids that contain genes that integrate into the genome of the infected plant cell. The researchers manipulate the plasmids to carry the desired DNA fragment and insert it into the plant's genome.

The organic insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a bacterium that produces protein crystals that are toxic to many plant-eating insect species. Insects that have eaten the Bt toxin stop feeding on plants within a few hours.

After the toxin is activated in the intestines of the insects, death it occurs in a couple of days. The crystalline toxin genes have been cloned from the bacteria and introduced into plants, thus allowing plants to produce their own crystalline toxin Bt that works against insects. The Bt toxin is safe for the environment and is not toxic to mammals (including humans).

Consequently, it has been approved for use by organic farmers as a natural insecticide. However, there is some concern that insects may develop resistance to the Bt toxin in the same way that bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics.

The first GM crop to be introduced to the market was the FlavrSavr tomato produced in 1994. Molecular genetic technology was used to slow down the softening and putrefaction process caused by fungal infections, leading to an increased shelf life of the GM tomatoes. Additional genetic modification improved the flavor of this tomato. The FlavrSavr tomato was not successfully maintained on the market due to maintenance and shipping problems of the harvest.

In summary..

All the  genetic testing They are done to identify the genes causing the disease and can be used to benefit affected people and their families who have not yet developed symptoms of the disease. Gene therapy, by which functional genes are incorporated into the genomes of individuals with a non-functional mutant gene, has the potential to cure inherited diseases.

The transgenic organisms they possess DNA of a different species, generally generated by molecular cloning techniques. Vaccines, antibiotics and hormones are examples of products obtained using recombinant DNA technology. Transgenic animals have been created for experimental purposes and some are used to produce some human proteins.

Genes are inserted into plants, using plasmids from the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, which infects plants. Transgenic plants have been created to improve the characteristics of crop plants, for example by giving them resistance to insects by inserting a gene for a bacterial toxin.

Source
nanova.org

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