Transgenics

 

In 1994 the first genetically engineered food item went the market when the FDA approved the sale of a tomato that had been genetically modified to stay ripper longer off the vine. This tomato was produced using recombient DNA technology, and was the herald for an age of genetically modified foods to come.

The Flavr Savr Tomato
(FDA)

When we think of genetic engineering, most of us probably think of transgenics. Transgenic animals or plants are those that have genes from other organisms added to their DNA. Already today thousands of products come from Transgenic organisms. Everything from medicines, foods, feeds, and fibers. One of the biggest applications (and largest debates) of transgenics is in Agriculture. There are currently four nations involved in growing transgenic crops. They are the United States (68%), Argentina (23%), Canada (7%), and China (1%) (ORNL).

So we use a lot of them, but how are they created?

Well, if you remember, Recombient DNA technology allows us to splice together genes from different organisms, thus taking genes from one organism and putting them into another. If this is done with a sperm and egg cell, then the offspring of the two sex cells will show the new trait. For example if you took a mouse sperm cell and a mouse egg cell and spliced in the gene that allows certain marine organisms to emit light, you could create a mouse that glows green under UV rays. This was actually done by researchers in Japan. (Biology 364)

Now, aside from light emitting mammals, this technology has a plethora of other uses. For example:

Crops
Enhances taste and quality
Increases nutrients, yields, and stress tolerances
Improves resistance to disease, pests, and herbicides
Allows for new products and growing techniques

Animals
Increases resistance, productivity, hardiness, and feed efficiency
Allows for better yields of meat, eggs, and milk
Improves animal health and diagnostic methods

Environment
Creates "friendly" bio herbicides and bio insecticides
Improved conservation of soil, water, and energy
Better natural waste management
(ORNL)

 

Genetically modified organisms are already used in a wide variety of products we consume on a daily basis. For example, Campbells soup line contains genetically modified ingredients, as does most of General Mill's and Kellogg's cerals on the market. Infact, we have been eating genetically modified foods since 1996.(true food)

For a list of foods that either have been genetically engineered or contain genetically engineered ingredients, follow this link. You'll be surprised at the large number and diversity of the foods containing genetically modified ingredients.

There is some debate regarding the use of transgenic organisms in food produciton. Some controversal issues associated with transgenics are:

 

Safety
Some people say that they have a potential human health impact in regards to : allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, and other unknown effects

Potential environmental impact
unintended transfer of modified genes through cross-pollination, unknown effects on other organisms in the environment, and loss of flora and fauna biodiversity

Access and Intellectual Property
Some people fear that transgenic food could lead to the domination of world food production by a few companies
Increasing dependence on Industralized nations by developing countries
And "biopiracy" which is the foreign exploitation of natural resources

Ethics
Is it a violation of natural organisms' intrinsic values?
Are we tampering with nature by mixing genes among species?
Does this create stress for the animal?

Labeling
Not mandatory in some countries (e.g., United States)
Mixing GM crops with non-GM confounds labeling attempts - how do we know what's been modified and what hasn't?

Society
New advances may be skewed to interests of rich countries
(ORNL)

 

These concerns have led several organizations such as Greenpeace and Consumers International to wage campagnes against the sale of genetically modified foods.

 

Transgenics are used in more than food production. Transgenic organisms can also be used to produce protiens for people or animals that cannot produce such protiens on their own. For example, Insulin is a protien produced by humans to break down sugars in the bloodstream. However, some people are born withouth the ability to producte their own insluin thus making it hard for them to live. However, since the advent of trasgenic organisms, scientists have been able to modify animals so that they produce insulin in large quanties. This insulin can then be harvested, processed, and made available to diabetics who need it. Another use of transgenics is to discover what certain genes do. By taking an unknown gene from one organism and inserting it into another organism, scientists can observe that changes that the gene produces in the new organism thus gaining insight into what exactly the gene does pheonotypcially.

 

The Future of transgenics

So where will we be with transgenics in 10 years? Today scientists are working around the clock on new transgetic organisms. Imagine a banana that when eaten, vaccinates you against diseases such as hepatitas B, fruit trees that produce fruit in half the normal growing time, or even plants that have been crossed with cold water fish so they don't freeze in the winter, providing year round food for developing nations. The future of transgenic organisms is only as limited as our imaginations.