Biol

Front 1

Genetic Engineering

Back 1

is the modification of genes, and its use is on the rise.

Front 2

The gene of interest

Back 2

is first isolated by using restriction enzymes to cut the gene out of its genome.

Front 3

The genome

Back 3

is the DNA sequence of an organism.

Front 4

Usually the gene

Back 4

is cloned by being inserted into a circular piece of DNA, a bacterial plasmid, using similar restriction enzymes to cut a section out and lygase to glue the gene into the plasmid.

Front 5

Bacterial cells are often

Back 5

used as they reproduce asexually, which means a faster rate of reproduction and offspring that are genetically identical to the parent cell.

Front 6

However, in the stimulus

Back 6

Dr Frank uses a retro viral vector, which uses an inactive virus to infect the cell with the gene of interest, much like a regular virus injects its RNA into a host cell.

Front 7

Once a cell has the gene,

Back 7

it can begin protein synthesis, the production of proteins from genes.

Front 8

First transcription takes place,

Back 8

where the gene is copied producing mRNA.

Front 9

The copy,

Back 9

unlike the original, is able to leave the nucleus and has the base uracil instead of thymine.

Front 10

After transcription,

Back 10

translation occurs.

Front 11

This is where

Back 11

codons, three bases, are read by the tRNA.

Front 12

Once a triplet

Back 12

has been identified, the corresponding amino acid is produced.

Front 13

Mutation

Back 13

can occur if genetic engineering goes wrong.

Front 14

As seen in

Back 14

the stimulus, there is am much higher risk of mutation occurring.

Front 15

Mutations are

Back 15

a change in genetic material, causing deadly uncontrolled growth like one of the children to a change in eye colour.