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Gene Technology

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Edexcel IAL Biology · Unit: Gene Technology

Gene Technology

The big idea: Because every living thing reads DNA using the same universal code, scientists can cut a gene out of one organism, paste it into another, and that organism will actually read and use it — turning bacteria into insulin factories and letting us decode which genes are switched on inside a cell.

Summary — What This Chapter Covers

  • Drug production from GMOs — how bacteria, plants, and animals are engineered to manufacture human proteins like insulin.
  • Recombinant DNA — the 5-step process (identify → isolate → multiply → transfer → identify transformed cells) used to build a transgenic organism.
  • Restriction enzymes & DNA ligase — the molecular "scissors and glue" that cut genes out and stick them into vectors.
  • Transfer of recombinant DNA into cells — vectors (plasmids, viruses, liposomes), gene guns, and microinjection.
  • Identification of active genes — how microarrays use fluorescent probes to show which genes are switched on.
  • Bioinformatics — the field that stores and analyses the huge datasets these technologies produce.
  • Risks & benefits of GMOs — weighing medical/agricultural gains against health, ecological, and ethical concerns.

1. Drug Production from Genetically Modified Organisms

Genetic engineering is the deliberate act of taking a gene that codes for a useful characteristic — say, "make human insulin" — cutting it out of human DNA, and inserting it into a completely different organism (usually bacteria) so that they start making the protein for us, in bulk, in a factory.

🧠 Analogy: Imagine you have one brilliant recipe (a gene) written in a universal recipe language that every kitchen (organism) on Earth can read. If you photocopy that recipe and hand it to a completely different kitchen — say, a bacterial cell — that kitchen can follow the instructions and start baking the same cake (protein), even though it's never made it before. That's only possible because the genetic code is universal: every organism uses the same four bases (A, T, C, G) and reads codons the same way.
Recombinant DNA DNA that has been artificially altered by combining nucleotide sequences from two different sources — usually two different species.
Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) / Transgenic organism An organism whose genome now contains a gene transferred in from a different species.

Genetically Modified Micro-organisms

This is the classic route for making medicinal proteins like human insulin and human blood clotting factors. The process, in order:

1
Restriction enzymes cut the gene coding for the desired protein out of the organism's genome (e.g. cut the insulin gene out of human DNA).
2
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to make millions of copies of that gene, using DNA polymerase to build new complementary strands.
3
The gene copies are inserted into plasmids (small loops of bacterial DNA) — these plasmids act as vectors. DNA ligase glues the gene into the plasmid.
4
Bacteria take up the recombinant plasmids and are grown in huge fermenters full of nutrients, multiplying and mass-producing the protein.
5
The protein is isolated and purified before being packaged as a drug.

2. Recombinant DNA — The Full Process

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Also in the full note
  • 3. Transfer of Recombinant DNA into Other Cells
  • 4. Identification of Active Genes — Microarrays
  • 5. Bioinformatics
  • 6. Risks & Benefits of Using GMOs
  • What to Memorise
  • Concepts Checklist
  • Exam Tips
  • Genetically Modified Plants
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