Getting the Gene Across

As we learn about DNA we see how many of our genes relate to the way we look are affected by a mix of four nucleic acids. Some want to start using this to change the way certain organisms behave or look. Already much of the food we eat has been influenced to have certain traits which can benefit the population. Sometimes people refer to these as GMOs which are more of a benefit than damaging, based on what I have seen so far. Some of it has been done through breeding but there are also other processes which allow for certain traits which is what I am interested in finding out.

Transgenesis will allow for certain genes to be integrated into a host and possibly continue on to its offspring. Some methods used are plasmids, viral vectors, TALENS, and CRISPRs which will allow for integration. I have been looking for information on transgenesis on animals and how it may have begun. The beginning of this research found that even though we have differentiated cells these still contain our whole DNA information and can be reused for other purposes. I think if we could figure out a way to reprogram certain cells we would be able to direct them to stop. For example many use cancer as a huge example. If we could find a way to change the dividing of the cells we could stop the growth in the body. As we continue forward ways to make this a possibility could be possible. 

One method of adding genes to another organism is through microinjection of fertilized eggs. This process will inject DNA into a nucleus at an early stage. During the process, we hope that the material will integrate itself to the offspring. Some issues are a lack of ability to recognize which eggs may have the new DNA, and the efficiency is also low. The offspring will be mosaic and may produce offspring with both the intended gene and some without. This process I have looked into was done with fish and seems to take several generations. With the error, I see how this can be very time consuming if results are not seen.

Also needing to be done early in the life cycle is electroporation which delivers a shock to a cell and opens up pores in the membrane. This is beneficial because it even holds some applications in adult animals. This is something we like to see for issues that are currently affecting those alive now even before they start having offspring. I can see how people worried about genetic issues can have some assistance if we are able to counter the problem before birth, and if not we could possibly find some treatment to help after growth.

There are many more processes that are used and could gain some use as time moves forward. Right now we can start to use what we know to gain insight into how our genes work and interact. If we are able to place genes into a system and find out how an organism is affected soon we may be able to see what other pathways exist that may have an effect on an organism.

In the article, it mentions that this could be used to provide assistance to those fish species which may be going extinct as well. This is If this is the case we could apply this to plants and other animals which may have other struggles due to the environment. Plants could be able to survive through cold during these times and could be able to survive longer distances without decay. I am not sure how much changing the genome can affect our health if this is used to feed people, but I think it is a 

valuable tool if it can be done safely.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.shsu.edu/science/article/pii/S0734975017300617?