Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Genetic Engineering Benefits and Concerns
- Introduction
- Genetic engineering can be the direct manipulation
of an organisms genome using biotechnology or the
indirect modification through artificial selection
- This essay will discuss the most relavent aspects of genetic
engineering and assess the benefits, limitations and concerns of using
genetic engineering to improve animal, health, disease defence
- Firstly the previous methods of genetic engineer ing will be initially discussed,
moving on to the current available biotechnologies and finally consider the
future potential of these technologies
- Selective Breeding
- Selective breeding has been used for over 2000 years to select animals with desired traits based on
phenotypic expression,
- Improve Health
- Breeding to produce homozygosity of desired traits
- Foot angle to reduce lameness
- "NZ" style easycare systems
- Sheep
- Foot rot
- Worms
- Desireable traits
- Dairy cows are typical example of selective breeding
with highest yielding cows bred to high yield
(daughter) producing bulls
- Benefits
- More yield per cow (profitable)
- Environmental/ feed the world/less cows required
- Negatives
- Irresponsible selection
- Deleterious traits
- Lameness
- Poor fertility
- Nutrient partitioning
- Maybe inadvertedly selecting for deleterious triats
- Increased production
- FCR
- Fertility
- Growth
- AI/MOET
- Increase selection intensity
- Spread genes worldwide rapidly
- Cover more animals
- Reduce population variance
- Gene Identification
- Genes can now be identified to detect deleterious genes
- 1) Gene code identified e.g. Mastitis suceptibility
- 2) Opposite code created and marked with flourescence
- 3) Code binds at site of gene if present
- Genomics allows selection of more suitable parents
- Select against weaknesses
- Reduce inbreeding
- Avoid homozygosity of traits and genes
e.g. halothane gene in pigs
- Porcine Stress syndrome
- Sudden death
- Pale soft exudative meat
- Acid meat from anaerobic muscle
etabolism decreasing muscle quality
- Back muscle necrosis
- Reduce generation gap in cows
- More rapid prduction of offspring
- Genetic engineering
- Genetic engineering is the process of changing the
phenotype through expression of introduced DNA,
addition, deletion or substitution of the animals own
DNA
- Techniques used
- Pro-nuclear micro injection
- Inject genetic material into the nucleus of oocyte
- Over expression
- If not icorporated into germline it wont be
passed to next generation
- Stem cell manipulation
- Nuclear transfer (cloning)
- Concerns
- Mutagenesis
- Benefits
- Improving animal health
and fighting disease