Benefits And Risks Of Recombinant Dna Technology

Front 1

When understanding the recombinant DNA technology debate, which are the sides you have to balance?

Back 1

humanitarian benefits, with opposing views from environmentalists and anti-globalisation activists.

Front 2

What are the three main areas in which there are benefits and risks?

Back 2

In agriculture, in industry and in medicine.

Front 3

What are the main benefits of recombinant DNA to agriculture/

Back 3

-Transformed to give higher yield and more nutritoius.

Crops can be genetically modified to be more tolerant to environmental extremes or be resistant to pests.

Overall this reduces the risk of famine and malnutrition and areas that were previuously unsuitable to grow food, can now be used to feed an ever growing world population.

Front 4

What are some examples of environmental extremes?

Back 4

drought, cold, heat, salt or polluted soils.

Front 5

What useful protein does golden rice produce?

Back 5

beta-carotene.

Front 6

WHat is beta-carotene a precuror to?

Back 6

to make vitamin A

Front 7

With which genes has golden rice been transformed?

Back 7

addition of a gene from maize and a gene from a soil bacterium.

Front 8

Why is a pre-cursor to vitamin A needed?

Back 8

It can be used to reduce vitamin A deficiencies in areas where there is a shortage in dietary vitamin A.

Front 9

How is recombinant DNA useful in industry?

Back 9

Enzymes can be produced by transformed organsims, increasing the quanitity being produced for less money, reducing overall costs.

Front 10

Describe of recombinant DNA can make some cheese suitable for vegetarians?

Back 10

Chymosin is an enzyme used in cheese making. It used to be made from rennet (a substance produced in stomach of cows) but it can now be produced by transformed organisms. This means it can be produced in large quantities relatively cheaply, without killing cows.

Front 11

How is recombinant DNA technology useful in medicine?

Back 11

Many drugs and vaccines can be produced by transformed organisms. Microorganisms can be modified to produce a large range of substances, that can be produced cheaply and in large quantities. GM plants can be used to produce antibogens to act as vaccines and induce antibody production.

Front 12

What types of substances can microorganisms produce?

Back 12

antibiotics, hormones and enzymes.

Front 13

Explain how recombinant DNA is useful in treating type 1 diabetes?

Back 13

Insulin used to come from animal pancreases. It was not human insulin so it did not work as well. Human insulin is now made from transformed mircroorganisms using a cloned human insulin gene.

Front 14

How can microorganisms be used to help control pollution?

Back 14

Break and digest oil slicks.

Front 15

Why does care need to be taken when producing bacteria that digest oil slicks?

Back 15

Bacteria do not destroy oil in places where it is needed.

Front 16

What is done to prevent bacteria destroying oil in places where it is needed after digesting oil slick?

Back 16

Suicide gene is incorporated into bacterias genome causing them to destroy themselves one oil slick has been digested.

Front 17

Expalin how superweeds are a risk of recombinant DnA in agriculture?

Back 17

a recombinant gene could pass from one organism to another via a virus, leading to the development of weeds thatmay be resistant to herbicides and have a higher growth rate. The spread of recombinant DnA may also have unknown effects.

Front 18

What is it called when farmers only plant one type of transformed crop?

Back 18

a monoculture.

Front 19

Why is a mono-culture a problem for farmers?

Back 19

They are all genetically identical to each other, so if one of the palnts is infected by a disease, all the rest of the plants are susceptible to the same disease, meaning a whole field of crop could be lost.

Front 20

Why is monoculture a problem for environment?

Back 20

reduces the biodiversity, which could impact the environment such as food chains.

Front 21

How will GM crops affect organic farmers?

Back 21

may have their crop contaminated by wind-blown seeds from nearby GM crops meaning they can't sell their crop as organic and may lose their income.

Front 22

What are the consequences for whole regions/countries of GM crop?

Back 22

Financil consequences, as countries that used to be the only ones with the right climate may now face competition from countries with a different climate. Less exports from the countries.

Front 23

Name an example of finacial consequences on a country because of GM crop?

Back 23

Bananas developed to grow in UK could have disastrous consequences on Caribbean economies that rely heavily on this crop for income.

Front 24

What anti-globalisation activists against?

Back 24

large biotechnology companies control some forms of genetic engineering. As the use of the technology increases, these comapnies get bigger and more powerful. Forcing smaller companies out of business.

Front 25

How do large companies make it harder for farmers?

Back 25

May own patents to particular seeds. They can charge high prices. Sometimes including a "technology fee" that require farmers to repurchase seeds every year.

Front 26

Why are some people worried about choice of eating GM foods?

Back 26

Without proper labelling

Front 27

How do people think that toxins will enter the food chain?

Back 27

Process used to purify proteins.

Front 28

How are companies that own genetic engineering technologies a problem in medicine?

Back 28

may limit the use of technologies that could be saving lives.

Front 29

What can the knwoledge and ability to change human genes lead to?

Back 29

eugenics. The selection of genes could lead to the selection o one race rather than another.

Front 30

How is recombinant DNA a risk in terms of disease/pathogens?

Back 30

Genes are capable of mutating, therefore there may be consequences to the DNA of a GM organism muatating, such as turning a microorgansim into a pathogen we have no way of controlling.

GM bacteria contain antibiotic resistance marker genes. These could be passed on to harmful bacteria through conjugation.

Front 31

What is conjugation?

Back 31

copies of palsmids pass from one bacteria to another.

Front 32

What is the debate in terms of ownership of genetic material?

Back 32

Who owns it once it has been removed from the body? The donor or researcher. Do individuals hold right to their own genetic information, or is the value created by the researcher who sues it to develop a medicine or diagnosis.