REDISCOVERING

BIOLOGY
Genetically Modified Molecular to Global
Organisms Perspectives
“ And God said...let them have dominion over the fish of
the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing
that creepeth upon the earth.” GENESIS 1:26 THE HOLY BIBLE
“ The Earth does not belong to us. We belong to the Earth.”
CHIEF SEATTLE

Introduction
Humans purposefully manipulate the evolution of other organisms. For
thousands of years farmers have used selective breeding to improve
their livestock and crops. As a result, we have cows that produce more
milk, hens that lay more eggs, sheep with better wool, and
disease-resistant plants with higher productivity. Another striking
example of humans altering other organisms is the great diversity of
dog breeds, from the toy poodle to the Great Dane.
Although humans have been manipulating organisms for millennia,
genetic engineering simplifies and targets manipulations in an
unprecedented way. Transgenic plants and animals are generated with
characteristics that cannot be obtained using traditional breeding.
Unlike organisms generated by selective breeding, transgenic
organisms (also known as “recombinant organisms”) by definition
contain genes from other species. Genetic engineering techniques are Figure 1. The ancestor of modern
used to generate recombinant DNA, which contain sequences from corn had tiny kernels, each protected
different organisms. This DNA then becomes incorporated into a host by a tough husk. Domestication of
so that it can be passed to subsequent generations. For example, Bt maize, which began thousands of years
corn expresses a gene for an insecticidal toxin that was “donated” by ago, selected for large sheathed cobs
the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. containing large kernels without husks.
The use of recombinant organisms has become commonplace. For
example, bacteria produce human insulin and hepatitis vaccines, and
some crop plants are cultivated to be resistant to certain herbicides
and insects. There are also transgenic livestock that produce human
proteins, such as antithrombin III. The economic value of such products
drives research. How did it start? Where is it going? What are the
challenges and the risks? In this unit we will explore these questions as
they relate to modifying bacteria, plants, and animals.
 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

Genetic Modification of Bacteria

Bacteria — the first organisms to be genetically engineered — are used
for replicating and altering genes that are subsequently introduced
into plants or animals. Bacterial systems lend themselves to genetic
manipulation in part because of their rapid reproduction rates. It is
easy to produce a genetically identical population — a clone of
bacteria — all containing the gene of interest in a short period. The
cells can then be lysed and DNA can be isolated in short order. Bacteria
are routinely used to produce non-bacterial proteins. An example is
the production of purified proteins for vaccine use. Such proteins can
be safer and as effective as vaccines that contain killed or attenuated
(weakened) pathogens. Genetic engineering can also produce
extensive changes in the bacterium’s metabolism. For example,
bacteria can be provided with several genes encoding enzymes that
allow the production of fuel alcohol from wood.
Researchers have taken advantage of nature to modify bacteria.
Plasmids are small, circular, self-replicating, extrachromosomal pieces
of DNA that occur naturally. A plasmid can encode a protein that offers
its host a selective advantage. For example, a plasmid that encodes an
antibiotic allows its host bacterium to thwart competing microbes.
Alternately, a bacterium might possess a plasmid that encodes
antibiotic resistance. Plasmids are readily isolated from bacterial cells
and can be altered in vitro by inserting or deleting specific sequences
of DNA. Because they can be used to create clones of genes, plasmids
are called cloning vectors.

Getting the Plasmid In

In nature bacteria have various enzymes that cut up the DNA of their
natural enemies, such as bacteriophages (bacterial viruses). Researchers
have taken advantage of these so-called restriction enzymes to
splice DNA for use in engineering bacteria. Hundreds of restriction
enzymes have been isolated and each will cut a DNA strand at a
specific sequence of nucleotides. Some restriction enzymes generate
blunt ends, cutting across both strands of DNA. Others generate a
staggered cut, producing “sticky ends.” These ends anneal by
hydrogen bonding to similar ends on another DNA segment cut with
the same restriction enzyme.
Cloning a gene involves identifying a gene of interest in an organism,
isolating DNA from that organism, and then using a restriction enzyme
to snip the gene from the DNA strand. The gene-containing segment
can then be spliced into a plasmid cut by the same restriction enzyme.
The bacteria take up the plasmid and are allowed to replicate.
Ordinarily, bacterial cells do not readily take up plasmids. Researchers
can use various tricks, however, to get cells more ready to do so. One
common method holds the cells on ice in a solution of calcium
chloride. The cells are then briefly heat shocked so the plasmid can
cross the plasma membrane. An alternate method, electroporation,
uses a short electrical pulse to open pores in the plasma membrane,
allowing the plasmid to pass through.
Marker genes, such as genes for antibiotic resistance, are often
engineered into plasmids. These marker genes enable researchers to
know which bacteria have the plasmids. The antibiotic is added to the
media used to grow the bacteria. Cells that do not contain the plasmid

Genetically Modified Organisms 2

 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

will fail to reproduce. In addition to marker genes, plasmids typically

contain one or more genes of interest. For example, a protein not
otherwise expressed by the recipient cell might be produced only when
the plasmid is present. Individual colonies of bacteria, each derived
from a single cell, can be evaluated for the expression of such novel
gene products.
Protein production can be straightforward if the source of the novel
gene was another bacterium. However, the goal of modifying bacteria
might be the production of proteins encoded by eukaryotic genes from
fungi, plants, or animals. This presents challenges. Eukaryotic DNA
contains both exons (coding sequences) and introns (intervening
sequences). In eukaryotic cells this DNA is used as a template for the
production of mRNA, which must then undergo mRNA splicing.
Introns are removed and exons are joined to form the mRNA, which
travels to the ribosome for protein production. Bacteria lack the
enzymes necessary for mRNA splicing, so introducing a eukaryotic gene
into bacteria requires a special procedure. First, DNA must be
generated that is complementary to the already spliced mRNA. The
enzyme reverse transcriptase is then used to generate a double-
stranded DNA molecule called cDNA, using the mRNA as a template.
Finally, this cDNA is incorporated into the cloning vector.
Expressing eukaryotic genes in bacteria presents other problems. After
proteins are assembled in eukaryotic cells they are often modified. (See
the Proteomics unit.) For example, various sugars may be attached to
the polypeptide so that glycoproteins are formed. Bacteria are
generally unable to accomplish such post-translational modifications,
and eukaryotic genes expressed in bacteria may not function properly.
The inability of bacteria to perform such modifications has driven
scientists to use yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and eukaryotic cell
culture to produce some recombinant products.

Are Recombinant Bacteria Safe?

Concerns about the safety of recombinant bacteria were voiced as the
technology was developed. Some fear that new, untreatable human
pathogens could be inadvertently generated. In 1974 prominent
researchers self-imposed a moratorium on certain experiments until
they could assess the hazards. After much discussion, the researchers
developed biological containment procedures. These include
generating recombinant DNA only in bacteria that have mutations to
prevent them from surviving outside of the laboratory. The release of
recombinant microbes into the environment remains controversial.

Genetic Modification of Plants

New traits introduced to crop plants by genetic engineering have the
potential to increase crop yields, improve agricultural practices, or add
nutritional quality to products. For example, transgenic crop plants
capable of degrading weed killers allow farmers to spray weeds
without affecting yield. Use of herbicide-tolerant crops may also allow
farmers to move away from preemergent herbicides and reduce
tillage, thereby decreasing soil erosion and water loss. Transgenic
plants that express insecticidal toxins resist attacks from insects. Crops
engineered to resist insects are an alternative to sprays, which may not
reach all parts of the plant. They are also cost effective, reducing the
use of synthetic insecticides. Genetic engineering has also been used to

Genetically Modified Organisms 3

 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

increase the nutritional value of food; “golden rice” is engineered to

produce beta-carotene, for example. Edible vaccines, present in the
plants we eat, may be on the horizon.
The new traits expressed in such transgenic plants are derived from a
variety of other organisms. Scientists have given a gene from the
bacterium Salmonella to cultivars of soybeans, corn, canola, and cotton
to degrade the pesticide glyphosphate (RoundupTM). The gene for the
insecticidal toxin in transgenic cotton, potato, and corn plants comes
from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). One of the genes
allowing vitamin A production in golden rice is derived from the
bacterium Erwinia uredovora; others are from the daffodil.
The development of golden rice involved the introduction of several
genes into a plant to provide a multistep biochemical pathway.
(Fig. 2) Rice grain, which serves as a food staple for much of the
world, lacks vitamin A. An estimated 100 million to 200 million children
worldwide have vitamin A deficiency, a condition that causes
blindness; and increases susceptibility to diarrhea, respiratory infection,
and childhood diseases such as measles. Beta-carotene and other
carotenes (the red, yellow, and orange pigments found in carrots and
other vegetables) are the precursors of vitamin A. Rice synthesizes
beta-carotene in its chloroplasts but not in the edible seed tissue.
Ingo Potrykus and his colleagues found that geranyl geranyl
diphosphate (GGPP), a precursor to carotenoid production, is present
in rice seed. They genetically engineered golden rice to express the
enzymes necessary for the conversion of GGPP to beta-carotene. The
synthesis of beta-carotene from geranyl geranyl diphosphate requires
four biochemical reactions, each catalyzed by a different enzyme. A
bacterium, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, containing three plasmids, was
used to introduce all the genes necessary for the complete biochemical
pathway for beta-carotene production. It was possible to use three
enzymes instead of four because the bacterial enzyme phytoene
desaturase accomplishes what two plant enzymes (phytoene
desaturase and beta-carotene desaturase) do.

Figure 2. The biochemical pathway for

beta-carotene synthesis in “golden rice.”
Photo-illustration — Bergmann Graphics

Genetically Modified Organisms 4

 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

If transgenic plants can help prevent vitamin deficiencies, can they also
produce vaccines? Edible vaccines available in crops could help people
in developing nations where transportation, refrigeration, and
disposable needle supplies are limited. Hugh Mason and his colleagues
(Boyce Thompson Institute) have expressed a gene that encodes an
E. coli protein in potatoes. Volunteers who ate raw, modified potatoes
developed antibodies to the protein. Research is underway to see
whether the antibodies will protect against diarrhea induced by
disease-causing E. coli.

Techniques Used for Generating

Transgenic Plants
As with bacteria, the ability to genetically modify plants depends on
obtaining genetically identical populations and readily manipulating
DNA. How do you “clone” a plant? Many plant species naturally
undergo asexual reproduction by fragmentation, where segments
from a parent plant regenerate a new plant. It is also possible to grow
plants in culture from small explants. Another method is to culture
plants from totipotent cells found in plant meristems. These plant
cells can divide and differentiate into the various types of specialized
cells. In a test tube, plant cells will divide and form an undifferentiated
callus. When hormones in the culture medium are adjusted, the callus
will sprout shoots and roots and eventually develop into a plantlet that
can be transplanted to soil. To clone a plant — perhaps a plant with
new genes — the growing callus is simply subdivided. Thousands of
genetically identical plants can be generated in this way.
How do you get a plant to take up a gene? Researchers working with
rice often use the soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This
bacterium, the cause of crown gall disease in many fruit plants, is well
known for its ability to infect plants with a tumor-inducing (Ti)
plasmid. A section of the Ti plasmid, called T-DNA, integrates into
chromosomes of the plant. Recombinant DNA can be added to the
T-DNA, the gall-inducing genes removed, and infection by the
bacteria — containing the recombinant plasmid — will provide for
transfer of novel genes to plant embryos.
Although Agrobacterium tumefaciens works for introducing plasmids
into rice, not all plants are equally susceptible to this bacterium.
Researchers interested in modifying crops such as wheat and corn
have turned to other methods for delivering genes to plant cells. One
approach is to use a “gene gun,” (Fig. 3) which fires plastic bullets
filled with DNA-coated metallic pellets. An explosive blast or burst of
gas propels the bullet toward a stop plate. The DNA-coated pellets are
directed through an aperture in the stop plate, and then penetrate
the walls and membranes of their cellular targets. Some projectiles
penetrate the nuclei of cells, where occasionally the introduced DNA
integrates into the DNA of the plant genome. Transformed cells can
then be cloned in culture.
Marker genes are often included in DNA constructs so that plants that
have acquired the novel DNA can be selected. In plants, marker genes
include those for herbicide resistance. Plants that grow in the Figure 3.
presence of the herbicide are assumed to possess the transgene of A “gene gun.”
interest. The transgenic plant embryos are cultivated in tissue culture.
Once mature plants are obtained they are evaluated for the activity of

Genetically Modified Organisms 5

 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

the introduced gene, any unintended effect on plant growth, and

product yield and quality. The ability of the gene to be expressed in
subsequent plant generations is also evaluated.
Not all genes are expressed in every tissue of a plant. When golden
rice was developed it was necessary to ensure that the novel genes
were expressed in the endosperm of the seed. The endosperm of a
seed is the starchy component that provides energy and nutrients for
the developing plant embryo. Regulatory DNA sequences upstream
from the specified genes were introduced into the recombinant Ti
plasmids. Such regulatory regions influence where and when a gene
will be expressed. (See the Genomics unit.) The regulatory regions
chosen for golden rice provide an uninhibited transcription of the
genes in endosperm.

Problems and Concerns

Several concerns have been raised regarding transgenic crop plants.
Foremost is the possibility that the process of genetic engineering
might inadvertently generate new allergens or toxins that could affect
human health. Another concern is that introduced genes from
engineered crops could move to other organisms in the environment.
Other concerns relate to cultivars that are engineered to produce
insecticides. The potential development of insecticide resistance in
target pests is worrisome; as is the possibility that non-target,
beneficial insects might be affected by engineered plants.
A particular concern is the possibility that transgenic crop plants could
affect human health by expressing unanticipated allergens. In March
1996 researchers at the University of Nebraska showed that an allergen
from Brazil nuts had been transferred into soybeans. Individuals
sensitized to Brazil nuts make antibodies (IgE) specific to certain
proteins in the nuts. Engineered soybeans reacted with such antibodies
in vitro. Had allergic individuals consumed the transgenic soybeans
they would have likely experienced IgE-mediated reactions, ranging
from itching to anaphylaxis.
Obviously, expressing a known allergen in food crops is unwise.
However, it is difficult to predict whether a protein expressed in a
novel organism will cause allergies. A protein isolated from its native
species may differ from the same protein (with an identical amino acid
sequence) harvested from a transgenic organism expressing that
protein. Sometimes sugar or acetyl groups are added to proteins after
they are manufactured at the ribosome. The forms of sugar or acetyl
groups may vary between organisms. Sugar groups on proteins have
been associated with allergenic and immunogenic responses. Hence,
allergenicity studies ought to be carried out on the actual material
derived from transgenic plants themselves, rather than on just the
bacterial proteins. Such studies are not always done.
Critics are worried that engineered plants might generate toxins as a
result of the DNA-insertion process. They note that the insertion of
genetic material (using gene gun technology, for example) is semi-
random, and that the amount and location of DNA inserted into the
chromosome varies. If an insert disrupts a regulatory region that serves
to “turn off” the production of a toxin, the result might be an over-
expression of toxin. Another concern is the inclusion of regulatory
regions as part of genetic constructs: the regulation of host genes near
an insert could be dramatically affected.

Genetically Modified Organisms 6

 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

Significant concerns relate to the impact that genetically modified

plants could make on the environment. In experiments, transgenic crops
are known to hybridize with closely related species. The probability that
transgenic traits, as well as other accompanying changes in traits, will
show up in wild plant relatives is increasing as genetically modified
crops are established. Herbicide-tolerant weeds can evolve;
glyphosphate- (RoundupTM) resistant rigid ryegrass, for example, has
developed only recently. Genetically modified crops must be monitored
to reduce unintended degradation of natural ecosystems.
Crops engineered to produce insecticides, such as Bt toxin, bring other
concerns. The widespread planting of Bt corn and other crops can
result in insects evolving a resistance to Bt toxins. At least ten species
of moths, two species of beetles, and four species of flies already have
developed resistance to Bt toxins under laboratory exposure. Bt toxins
administered as a spray are present only transiently. However,
transgenic crops continuously express the insecticidal protein. This
ongoing exposure may be more likely to select for resistant insects.
The emergence of a resistant insect population is likely whenever a
pesticide is used. One strategy for delaying the emergence of insects
resistant to Bt toxin is to plant a “refuge” of conventional crops near
Bt-expressing crops. The idea is that these conventional crops will
harbor susceptible insects that will mate with resistant insects, diluting
out recessive resistance alleles. Of course, if resistance develops as a
dominant allele, this strategy will not work.
There are hundreds of known subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis, and
the insecticidal toxin derived from each is poisonous only to certain
species of insects. Nevertheless, there are concerns that plants
expressing genes for such toxins could affect non-target insect species.
Some of these species may be beneficial, such as those that provide
pollination or consume pests. Laboratory experiments suggest an
increased mortality of Monarch butterflies that ingested Bt corn
pollen. How frequently this occurs in the field is unknown, and not all
laboratory studies have given similar results. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) requires toxicity tests on a standard set of
organisms before a pesticide can be registered. As of December 2002
the EPA had not demonstrated toxicity of Bt to non-target species.
Data gathering continues.

Genetic Modification of Animals

Dolly the lamb stole the headlines as the first example of livestock
cloned from DNA of an adult animal. But the real breakthrough came
with Polly, the first transgenic lamb. Born the year after Dolly, Polly
was given a human gene that encodes blood-clotting factor IX, the
protein missing in people with one form of hemophilia. Harvesting
such proteins from transgenic livestock is one goal of this research. The
road to Polly and subsequent transgenic animals began with research
using genetically altered mice. Along the way, technologies for cloning
animals, modifying DNA, and targeting expression of proteins to
specific tissues were developed. Someday, human gene therapy —
supplying genes to patients with missing or altered proteins — may
become common practice. However, significant challenges remain.
Moreover, risks and ethical concerns must be addressed.

Genetically Modified Organisms 7

 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

Antithrombin III (AT-III) is an example of a pharmaceutical produced in

transgenic livestock. A normal level of AT-III keeps the formation of
blood clots under control. Patients with AT-III deficiency may have
thromboembolic problems beginning in early adulthood, particularly
clots in the legs and pulmonary embolism. Providing therapeutic AT-III
can reduce clotting risks in such patients. Other therapeutic proteins
being considered for production by transgenic animals include human
hemoglobin, human serum albumin, tissue plasminogen activator
(used to treat stroke), human alpha-1-antitrypsin (alpha-1-antitrypsin
deficiency can cause life-threatening emphysema), various vaccine
proteins, and monoclonal antibodies.
For some time, mice have been genetically altered to exhibit human
genetic disease. To generate such animal models normal genes in mice
are inactivated using “knockout” technology, or altered by
replacement of the normal gene with a mutated counterpart. Mouse
disease models now exist for cystic fibrosis, beta-thalassaemia,
atherosclerosis, retinoblastoma, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Such animal models allow researchers to test therapeutic compounds
and study the molecular basis of given diseases. R
X
Knockout technology, as well as other genetic engineering approaches,
depends on the ability to target genes for insertion into particular Gene to
locations within the host chromosome. To do this, a region on the P
be disrupted
chromosome is identified and DNA homologous to that region is
engineered into a cloning vector. The newly inserted sequence can then R
Selection for X
be disrupted by insertion of a selected gene; for example, a marker
gene encoding antibiotic resistance. Once cells take up the DNA,
homologous recombination on either side of the marker gene allows it
R
to be precisely inserted into the chromosome. At the same time, some X
No protein
or all of the target gene on the chromosome is deleted. (Fig. 4) P
produced
Gene knockout in pigs is being studied as an avenue for transplanting
animal organs into humans. A major cause of tissue rejection is an Figure 4. The plasmid contains a gene
immune reaction to the carbohydrate galactose-a-1,3,-galactose on the interrupted by a marker gene (XR).
surface of non-human cells. Deletion of the a-1,3,-galatosyltransferase Recombination involving two crossovers
gene may allow the production of animals lacking this surface marker. between the plasmid and wild type
chromosomal DNA with the interrupted
As researchers recognized the potential of transgenic livestock for the gene and the selectable marker.
production of human therapeutics and transplant tissue, farmers
recognized the contributions that genetic engineering might make to
the economics of livestock production. Cows might be produced that
could grow more muscle mass, require less feed, produce more milk, or
be leaner. The composition of milk could be changed; for example,
casein could be over-expressed to provide increased cheese production.
Lactose might be removed from milk for lactose-intolerant consumers.
Disease resistant animals could reduce the use of antibiotics. Poultry
with less fat content and eggs with lower cholesterol are other goals.

Cloning Animals
Asexual reproduction in bacteria and plants allows scientists to obtain
genetically identical populations; this does not occur naturally in
vertebrates, except in twins. In 1996 Dolly the lamb was born:
chromosomal material derived from an adult sheep was used to
generate an animal with chromosomal DNA identical to that of the
donor animal. Cloning livestock, using the techniques that generated

Genetically Modified Organisms 8

 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

Dolly, may become an economical method for traditional breeders to

replicate their superior animals and provide them to farmers. Rather
than selling semen, breeding companies might distribute cloned
embryos for implantation into surrogate cows. Because Dolly did not
possess foreign DNA she was not transgenic. However, she did
represent a valuable step toward the development of transgenic
livestock. With donor DNA for cloning derived from cultured
recombinant cells, it becomes possible to carry out specific genetic
modifications and introduce the modified genes into animals.

Figure 5. A donor cell is fused with

Egg cell
enucleated egg cell by subjecting the
Mammary two cells to pulses of electricity. The cell
donor
cell donor
replicates in culture, generating an
embryo, which is then introduced into
1 2 the uterus of a female for development.

Egg Cell

Mammary cells
in culture

Nucleus removed

3 Cells fused

Nucleus from
mammary cell

4 Grown in culture

Early embryo

5 Implanted in uterus of
a surrogate mother

6 Embryonic
develpment

Lamb chromosomally
identical to mammary cell donor

Nuclear Transfer
Ian Wilmut and his colleagues cloned Dolly using a technique called
nuclear transfer1. In this technique, the nucleus of a recipient egg is
removed to make way for the genetic material of the donor. (Fig. 5)
The donor cell is fused with the enucleated egg cell by subjecting the
two cells to pulses of electricity. Earlier studies had suggested that
donor nuclei from early embryos were more likely develop properly.
The use of an adult cell for the donor nucleus was unique in Dolly’s

Genetically Modified Organisms 9

 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

case. Although most differentiated animal cells contain all the genes
for making an entire organism, nuclei change as cells differentiate. To
dedifferentiate the udder cells used for nuclear transfer they cultured
the cells in a nutrient-poor medium. This caused the cell cycle to stop in
the GO phase. After fusion, 277 embryos were grown in culture for six
days before implanting them in thirteen surrogate mothers. Only one
of the embryos completed normal development.
Cloning by nuclear transfer depends on the availability of donor cells
with the appropriate genetic information. Somatic cells such as
fibroblasts, ovarian cells, muscle cells, and mammary epithelia are
grown in cell culture and genetically modified by fusion with the
enucleated egg. Commonly, DNA is transferred to the cells using viruses.

Microinjection and Other Techniques

Another technique for cloning animals is microinjection. In this
technique, a gene construct is characterized in culture and an
adequate quantity of the desired DNA is obtained. The DNA is injected
into fertilized ova before the first cell division occurs. This increases the
probability that all of the cells of the organisms will harbor the gene.
The injection is done soon after fertilization, before the male and
female pronuclei have fused. A very thin pipette or needle injects the
DNA into the large male pronucleus. (Fig. 6) Surrogate mothers are
made pseudo-pregnant with hormones and implanted with the
injected eggs. After birth, tissue samples of the young are assessed for
the presence of the desired gene. DNA from germ line cells is given
special attention. If the novel gene is present in these cells, the animal
can be used as a founder for breeding.

Figure 6 . Microinjection.

Genetic constructs that include regulatory regions targeting gene

expression to specific tissues are necessary if the gene product is to be
harvested readily. For example, GTC Biotherapeutics uses the
betacasein promoter to ensure that antithrombin III is secreted in goat
milk. Common biochemical procedures, such as filtration and
chromatography, are then used to isolate the AT-III from the milk.

Genetically Modified Organisms 10

 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

Scientists often use southern blots to evaluate DNA extracts from DNA +
restriction enzyme
tissue samples. (Fig. 7) Southern blotting is a type of nucleic acid
hybridization test in which single-stranded DNA from two sources
Restriction Fragments
interact. Strands with similar nucleic acid sequences will anneal by base
pairing (A with T, and G with C) to form double-stranded molecules.
One of the single-stranded DNA molecules is a unique portion of the
gene of interest, and is radiolabeled so it can be detected on
photographic film (the probe). Southern blotting allows the detection
of fragments of genomic DNA, which anneal to the radiolabeled 1 2 3
probe. The fragments are generated using restriction enzymes and
separated in a gel by electrophoresis. The size of a given fragment
relates to the distance it migrates on electrophoresis. The fragments
are denatured to single strands, transferred to a special filter paper 1
that is immersed in a solution containing the probe, and then rinsed. If
the probe has annealed it will expose the photographic film, resulting
2
in a band.

Paper blot 3
peeled off

Paper towels

Film Nitrocellulose paper

DNA probe Gel

in solution
1 1
in plastic bag
Sponge
2
2
3
3 Rinse away
unattached probe
Alkaline solution

Challenges Figure 7. DNA fragments are

generated using restriction enzymes.
Even beyond the controversies involving human cloning, there are The fragments are separated in a gel
risks and ethical dilemmas surrounding the use of transgenic and by the application of an electric
cloned animals. charge. The fragments are then
One risk from cloning animals is a loss of genetic diversity in livestock. blotted onto a piece of nitrocellulose
This could result in increased susceptibility to disease or other paper, where they retain their same
environmental challenges. Some of this risk might be avoided, pattern of separation but are
according to the Roslin Institute, by systems that limit the number of denatured to become single-stranded
clones produced by breeders and restricting the number of clones sold DNA. A unique single-stranded
to any given farmer. portion of the gene of interest (the
probe) is radioactively labeled and
The overexpression or deletion of certain genes must also be evaluated
allowed to anneal with the blotted
from an animal welfare perspective. The secretion of proteins in the
paper. When exposed to a sheet of
milk of transgenic goats seems to have no ill effects. However, pigs
photographic film, any DNA fragments
that harbor foreign genes have exhibited many problems including
that annealed with the labeled probe
lameness, lethargy, thickened skin, kidney dysfunction, inflamed joints,
are identified.
peptic ulcers, pericarditis, severe osteoarthritis, and a propensity
toward pneumonia.
The safety of cloning techniques has been questioned by a number of
researchers. Rudolf Jaenisch (MIT) published a study in September 2002
comparing 10,000 genes from placentas and livers of newborn cloned
mice with those from normal mice; at least four percent were
functioning incorrectly. Cloned mice have exhibited developmental

Genetically Modified Organisms 11

 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

abnormalities, obesity, pneumonia, liver failure, and premature death.

Dolly exhibited arthritis at an unusually young age and was put to
sleep at age six, about half the life expectancy of sheep in captivity.
An additional concern about the use of transgenic animal products,
including transplanted organs, is the risk of human exposure to animal
pathogens. At least 150 pathogens are known to infect both humans
and some other animal. In 1997 the isolation of two retroviruses from
pigs that could infect human tissue culture cells was reported. These so
called PERVs (porcine endogenous retroviruses) are of special concern
to those considering the use of porcine tissue for transplants, especially
because some retroviruses have been associated with cancer.

Addressing the Controversies

Decisions made regarding the use of genetically modified organisms
will impact the environment, and force a reexamination of consumer
safety and animal welfare issues. Do the benefits provided by
transgenic organisms outweigh the risks? Are those making decisions
influenced too heavily by the profit motive? How can opportunities for
competing approaches be ensured?
Certainly the production of genetically altered organisms is a profit-
making business. In 1980, individuals and companies realizing this
sought protection of their intellectual property and turned to the
courts. That year the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark decision
stating that living organisms are patentable; in 1988 a patent was
issued for the genetically altered “Harvard mouse.”
In late 2001 seventy-seven scientists and teachers from sixteen
countries, concerned with how environmental protection decisions are
made, issued the Lowell Statement on Science and Precaution. Their
“Precautionary Principle” recommends using the safest approaches to
meeting society’s needs, placing responsibility for finding the safest
alternatives in the hands of those originating potentially dangerous
activities, use of independent review, and participation of those who
may be affected by a policy choice. These guidelines might well be
extended beyond environmental policy.
Governmental bodies often play the role of reviewer when it comes to
safety, particularly of foods. Various governments and organizations
have begun generating guidelines and recommendations regarding
foods derived from transgenic organisms. For example, the Food and
Agricultural Organization of the United Nations along with the World
Health Organization organized a series of scientific consultations to
provide their member nations with recommendations. In a January
2001 report the consultation agreed that “the safety assessment of
foods derived from biotechnology requires an integrated and stepwise,
case-by-case approach.”2
Can the population at large — by consumer and political choice —
influence the use of genetically modified organisms? In November
2002 Oregon was the first state in the U.S. to put labeling of
genetically modified foods on the ballot. Proponents of labeling spent
about 200,000 dollars to convince voters. Opponents, with funding
from large agribusinesses, spent 5.5 million dollars to kill the idea.
Voters were convinced that labeling would significantly increase food
costs and rejected the measure.

Genetically Modified Organisms 12

 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

References
1) Wilmut I., A. E. Schnieke, J. McWhir, A. J. Kind, and K. H. S. Canbell.
1997. Viable offspring derived from fetal and adult mammalian cells.
Nature 385:810–12.
2) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
2001. Evaluation of allergenicity of genetically modified foods. Report
of a joint FAO/WHO expert consultation on allergenicity of food
derived from biotechnology 22–25 Jan 2001. Rome, Italy

Further Reading
Books
Crotty, S. 2001. Ahead of the curve: David Baltimore’s life in science.
Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
A biography of one of the major figures in molecular genetics
and recombinant DNA technology.

Nelson, G. C., ed. 2001. Genetically modified organisms in agriculture

— Economics and politics. New York: Academic Press.
This book presents opinions regarding the use of genetically
modified crops and uses citations from the scientific literature
as a foundation for those opinions.

Articles
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2001.
Evaluation of allergenicity of genetically modified foods. Report of a
joint FAO/WHO expert consultation on allergenicity of food derived
from biotechnology 22–25 Jan 2001. Rome, Italy
A report and recommendations from a group of experts who
met under the auspices of the United Nations.

Lowell Statement on Science and the Precautionary Principle. 2001.

Statement from the international summit on science and the
precautionary principle. Hosted by the Lowell Center for Sustainable
Production, University of Massachusetts, Lowell; 20–22 September
2001. http://www.uml.edu/centers/lcsp/precaution.
The precautionary principle developed by this group is provided
in full at this Web site.

Moffat, A. S. 1998. Toting up the early harvest of transgenic plants.

Science 282:2176–78.
A brief review of recent advances in transgenic agriculture.

Wolfenbarger, L. L., and P. R. Phifer. 2000. The ecological risks and

benefits of genetically engineered plants. Science 292:637–38.
A review of the ecological considerations inherent to the
development of genetically engineered crops.

Ye, X., A. A. Babili, A. Kloti, J. Zhang, P. Lucca, P. Beyer, and I. Potrykus.

2000. Engineering the provitamin A beta-carotene biosynthetic
pathway into (carotenoid-free) rice endosperm. Science 287:303–5.
The scientific paper that presents the development of
“golden rice.”

Genetically Modified Organisms 13

 R E D I S C OV E R I N G B I O L O GY

Glossary
Bt. The bacterium Bacillus mRNA splicing. In eukaryotic
thuringiensis; also refers to the cells, the process of excising
crystalline insecticidal protein introns from a primary RNA
produced by the bacterium. Bt transcript and joining together
crops, such as Bt-corn, are exons to form a final mRNA
transgenic plants that express the molecule.
insecticidal protein.
Plasmid. A small, circular, self-
Clone. Two or more genetically replicating, extrachromosomal
identical progeny. Clones can be piece of DNA. Many artificially
of genes, cells, or whole constructed plasmids are used as
organisms. cloning vectors.
Cloning vector. A carrier of DNA Recombinant DNA. DNA that
that can replicate; usually a contains information from two or
plasmid, bacteriophage, or more different species of
eukaryotic virus. organisms.
Electroporation. Use of electric Restriction enzymes. Enzymes
shock to make cell membranes that cut DNA at specific
temporarily more permeable to sequences; also known as
molecules such as DNA. “restriction endonucleases.”
Exon. The sequence of a gene Reverse transcriptase. An
that encodes a protein. Exons may enzyme derived from a retrovirus,
be separated by introns. which uses single-stranded RNA as
a template for the production of
Gene gun. A device that delivers
double-stranded DNA.
DNA to cells by microprojectile
bombardment. Southern blot. A technique for
transferring DNA fragments
Intron. The DNA sequence within
separated by electrophoresis to a
a gene that interrupts the protein-
filter paper sheet. The fragments
coding sequence of a gene. It is
are then probed with a labeled,
transcribed into RNA but it is
complementary nucleic acid to
removed before the RNA is
help determine their positions.
translated into protein.
Totipotent. Cells that can
Marker gene. A gene, such as
replicate to form any part of a
one that encodes antibiotic
complete organism.
resistance, that allows genetically
modified cells to be readily Transgenic organism. An
selected. organism that contains hereditary
information from two different
species of organisms.

Genetically Modified Organisms 14