Engineering Technology

Genetic Engineering its meaning and applications.

 By Prof Ghulam Mohyuddin wani

Genetic Engineering can be defined as the modification of genetic material by human manipulation. These modifications are such as not to occur naturally. It does not include the routine known natural ways of animal or plant breeding or mutagenesis. It involves the incorporation of DNA through DNA/RNA Hybridization.

The techniques known as DNA recombinant techniques are used to achieve these agnatic manipulations. The routine techniques of IVF in vitro-fertilization are not included in the genetic engineering as it involves the union of gametes outside uterus and not incorporation or injection of DNA OR RNA.For the first time genetic engineering of bacteria was used in 1973.The mice was genetic engineering model was evolved in 1974.The insulin producing bacteria through genetic modification was commercialized in 1982.The genetically modified foods called( GM FOODS) are in operation since 1994.A row of legal and ethical questions are roaming the horizon of GM foods since then. The GM rice has so far the highest productivity per hectare. Sometimes we have to choose GM FOODS to conquer the hunger of the world.

I feel the GM foods may not be as natural as normally grow foods, but then limiting land resources; soil degradation, water shortages and growing population are the compelling forces to stimulate GM food production. Thus it is time to find out any defects within GM foods to overcome them. Their use in future seems to be a generation gap as for anything new in any generation. The GE (genetic engineering) TECHNIQUE. Principle. It involves the introduction of new genetic material in the form DNA/RNA in the host genome. Thus a foreign genetic material is inserted into the host, so as to bring a change gene expression in the offspring, akin to the inserted gene.

Thus the genetic expression of the host gene traits is mordified.It has few simple to utter bur complex to execute steps as. 1. Isolation and coping of the genetic material intended to be inserted. 2. Generating a construct containing all the components for the desired expression. 3. Inserting this construct into the host organism. There many other ways to perform GE such as gene targeting. This aims at knocking out the targeted genes using specific nucleases such as zinc finger nucleases .Medicines like insulin and human growth hormone are now produced from bacteria. We have now oncomouse,knockout mouse available for use in such experiments. We have created insect resistant crops and herbicide tolerant crops by Genetic engineering which we call GM FOODS. We are using these techniques for cheap production of medicines and crops .

They is called Pharming as against natural Farming. In 2009 FDA of USA has approved the sale of pharmaceutical protein anithrombin and goat milk produced using genetic engineering techniques. Effects and impressions of Genetic Engineering Hybridization. Heritable materials prepaid in-vitro is infused either directly into the host or its cell. It is thus fused or hybridized with the host. There are both DNA and RNA recombinant techniques in use. The recombinant nucleic acid DNA/RNA is used to give us new heritable genetic materials for incorporation in the host directly or through a vector. Many ways called micro-injections,microencapsulations are common. The traditional animal or plant breeding methods are not included. The in-vitro fertilization,polyploidy,mutagenesis does not involve modified genetic materials from other sources as such are not included as Genetic Engineering Techniques. Similarly the cell fusion or even stem cell technologies cannot be included as GE techniques .Genetic Engineering by incorporating recumbent DNA or RNA can however be performed on them. Now synthetic genetic materials are available to broaden the horizon of the GE Technology and a new name coined. It is Synthetic Biology a new field of Biology which may be demanded and taught in every school and college in future. Once this is done and successful on a large scale a new synthetic food industry may come into existence.

This synthetic food may be quite different than the GM foods and may be the source of discussion and critics in future too but its significance in reducing the food costs along with medicines and other products may be harnessed to save natural resources and much more. Every new and unnatural technological intervention has its limitations, but if limitations are less than benefits human nature and development spur is bound to use them. Past Animal and plant breeding methods The selective breeding has been used by the humans since past thousands of years. The genetically alterations of the natural populations have been on the run since the human habitation of this planet. The mutagenesis and cross breeding operations have been changing the germplasm face from many centuries. Many animal and plant species who did not merit selection or further propagation were left to die and they no moor eexist.Ironical may it sound we use the modern GE techniques to appreciate their merits of disease resistance, tolerance to draught and low soil substrates. Since 1970 the genetic engineering has been in vogue. Has it some relation with the DNA inventions needs discussion and review. It is strange like superman’s scientific and technological ideas on HBO false the genetic engineering also came into existence with the then science fiction novel entitled Dragons Island. T

his novel was published in 1951.Its author Jack Williamson was first to coin the name Genetic Engineering..This novel was published a year or so before the role of DNA in heredity was reported by Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase.It was only in1953 i.e. two years after the publication of the novel that James Watson and Francis Crick showed that DNA was a double –helix structure. There after the following scientists contributed to GE development. A brief is mentioned as. Table 1 –Scientific contributions in Genetic Engineering Year Scientist Technology 1972 PaulBerg Recombinant DNA( monkey virus SV40 with Lambda virus 1973 Hebert Boyer First transgenic organism (In.E.coli plasmid antibiotic resist And Stanley Cohen -ance gene incorporation.) 1974 Rudolf.Jaenish Transgenic mouse (FOREIGN DNA into embryo) 1976 Robert Swanson Genetech First Genetic Engineering company in world 1977 Genetech Somatostatin a human protein in E.coli 1978 Genetech Human INSULIN 1980 US Supreme Court Patenting of GE Products allowed 1982 Humulin Insulin produced by bacteria allowed to be released by FDA 1986 USA/FRANCE Genetic Engineering in plants .Tobacco plant resistant ant to herbicides. 1992 China Produced commercialized transgenic tobacco plants resistant to virus 1994 Calgene Release of Flavr Savr tomato for longest shelf life 1994 Europe First GM crop Europe.Bromoxynil resistant tobacco plants 1995 USA BT. Potato 2009 World Eleven GM crops grown commercially in 25 countries. 2010 J.Craig venter Institute firstbacnthetic baterial genome –bacteria so named Synthia ,worlds first synthetic life and thus start of synthetic Biology-a new curriculum addition to Biology. This lecture was delivered at DIVISION OF Biotechnology,at Faculity of veterinary  sciences and Animal Husbandry,,as chief Guest on the  training programme on Assisted Reproduction Technologies In small Ruminants,The programme was sponsored by NationalInovation project,GOI,and held at aAlusteing,srinagar,skuast campus on 16th of March,2011 and appreciated by participinats Feed back to. fastwani@yahoo.com