Cloning and Genetic EngineeringLearning Objectives:1. Explain cloning.2. Explain genetic engineering.3. Analyse the advantages and disadvantages of cloning and genetic

engineering.

Cloning

• Clone = an individual produced through asexual reproduction that is genetically identical to the parent

Cloning in Plants• Cutting = technique to clone plants by cutting a piece of the plant and

re-growing it into a new plant that is genetically identical to the original, a form of asexual reproduction.

Cloning in Plants• Tissue culture = more modern method of cloning

plants by mixing plant hormones with a small group of plant cells. This produces a large mass of identical plant cells that grow into individual plants.

Advantages: • can create thousands of plants from a small sample• Can create plants with the exact characteristics you

wantDisadvantage• More expensive

Cloning in Animals• Embryo cloning = method of cloning an embryo to produce

genetically identical animals• Common in cow farming. Easy to do as embryos rapidly divide.

1. Give a cow fertility drugs to produce many eggs.2. Fertilise the eggs with sperm.3. Embryos that form are gently washed out of the womb.4. Divide the embryos into individual cells.5. Each cell grows into individual embryos that are genetically

identical.

Sexual Reproduction

Asexual Reproduction

Cloning in Animals• Adult cell cloning = technique to produce offspring that are genetically

identical to an adult “parent”

1. Nucleus is removed from an unfertilised egg cell.2. Remove the nucleus from the body cell of animal you want to clone.3. This nucleus is then inserted into the empty egg cell.4. Use an electric shock on the cell to force it to divide.5. The cell forms an embryo that is genetically identical to the body cell.6. The embryo is implanted into a surrogate mother to carry out the pregnancy.

Advantages:• Animals with desirable characteristics

can be produced.• Could save animals from extinction.• Could be medically useful.

Disadvantages:• Expensive• Unreliable• Reduces variety, populations with less

variety are less able to survive changing environments.

• Ethical problems with human cloning.

Genetic Engineering• Genetic engineering = changing the genetic material of an organism

1. Cut a gene out of the DNA of an organism using enzymes.2. Cut a plasmid of bacterial DNA.3. Insert the gene into the plasmid of bacterial DNA.4. Insert the plasmid with the new gene into bacterium.5. The bacterium reproduces to form many.6. The bacteria produce the product of the new gene.

Genetic EngineeringAdvantages:• Can be used to make proteins from other organisms on a large scale.• Can be used to produce medicines.• Can be used to produce organisms with specific characteristics.

Disadvantages• Still new, may be unknown long term side effects.• GM crops can mix with the wild population and reduce variety.

Uses of Genetic Engineering• Bacteria can be genetically

modified to produce insulin.• Rice can be GM to contain more

vitamins.• Plants can be GM to be resistant

to insects, disease, or temperature.• Crops that can grow faster.• Glow in the dark rats.