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Other uses for genetically modified bacteria include bioremediation, where the bacteria are used to convert pollutants into a less toxic form. Genetic engineering can increase the levels of the enzymes used to degrade a toxin or to make the bacteria more stable under environmental conditions. [ 29 ]
Transgenic or genetically modified organisms, be they bacteria, viruses or fungi, serve many research purposes. Transgenic plants , insects, fish and mammals (including humans) have been bred. Transgenic plants such as corn and soybean have replaced wild strains in agriculture in some countries (e.g. the United States).
Biotechnology is the use of living organisms to develop useful products. Biotechnology is often used in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Notable examples include the use of bacteria to produce things such as insulin or human growth hormone. Other examples include the use of transgenic pigs for the creation of hemoglobin in use of humans.
Due to these insecticidal properties, the bacteria was used as a biological insecticide, developed commercially in 1938. The cry proteins were discovered to provide the insecticidal activity in 1956, and by the 1980s, scientists had successfully cloned the gene that encodes this protein and expressed it in plants. [ 15 ]
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology.It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including the transfer of genes within and across species boundaries to produce improved or novel organisms.
The seeds from this first plant (called the T1, for first transgenic generation) can be planted on a selective (containing an antibiotic), or if an herbicide resistance gene was used, could alternatively be planted in soil, then later treated with herbicide to kill wildtype segregants.
Homologous recombination is also used in horizontal gene transfer to exchange genetic material between different strains and species of bacteria and viruses. Horizontal gene transfer is the primary mechanism for the spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
A transgene is an introduced DNA segment that be used to encode a gene in its host animal. [16] Biologists uses transgenesis as a tool to breed genetically modified, or transgenic animals that provide a wide range of uses. These include the study of developmental genetics, disease processes and gene regulation. [17]