Golden Rice and Transgenic Crops

1. Golden Riceand Transgenic Crops Michael Bollinger

2. Definition transgenic crop - a plant that has been genetically modified, and has been inserted with a gene from another plant

3. Methods There are two methods used to insert genes into the host’s DNA: • Gene gun • Agrobacterium

4. Gene Gun • This method is also known as the micro-projectile bombardment method • The gene gun method, is most commonly used on corn and rice

5. Gene Gun Procedure There are two basic steps to this method. 1. scientists attach the desired gene to a micro-projectile 2. the projectiles are then shot out of a gun at a very high velocity, and are shot into a cell of the plant

6. Gene Gun Advantages • a clean, and safe method for the cell • allows scientists to transform the organized tissue of a plant cell • this is a pretty universal method, and can be used on many different kinds of plants

7. Gene Gun Disadvantages • the gene that is getting shot into the cell, might accidently get reorganized upon entry into the cell • Sometimes the cell will get damaged, because of getting bombarded with objects being shot at them at a high velocity.

8. Agrobacterium • this method uses a bacteria known as agrobacterium tumefaciens • they use agrobacterium tumefaciens, because it has the ability to infect a plant cell with its own DNA • the piece of DNA that infects the plant through a plasmid that induces tumors • once the plant cell is infected, the cell is used to make copies of its own DNA

9. AgrobacteriumAdvantages • a natural method • more widely accepted that the gene gun • is capable of transferring large fragments of DNA effectively

10. Agrobacterium Disadvantages • not all of the important food crops can be infected by agrobacterium • sometimes unnecessary DNA gets transferred

11. Reasoning behind Golden Rice In many Asian countries, the people there eat a diet that is mostly made up of rice. Since they do not have a very varied diet, they do not receive all of the vitamins that they should get. Scientists wanted to give these people the proper nutrients, and their solution was to put those nutrients into rice.

12. Advantages of Golden Rice • Normal grains of rice contain absolutely no vitamin A • Golden Rice contains beta-carotene, which the human body can convert into vitamin A • Golden Rice is being used to help fight Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD)

13. Disadvantages of Golden Rice • Some Scientists fear that people will only eat Golden Rice, which would take income away from farmers that don’t produce Golden Rice • Since so many people seem to be switching to only Golden Rice, the farmers probably will too, which means that if Golden Rice is susceptible to dieses, pretty much the whole food supply for some poor countries would get completely destroyed.

14. Agree or Disagree? I agree with the use of transgenic crops. I think that they should be used, because the new organisms have some benefits that can be very useful. For example, Golden Rice helps people that eat rice, but don’t get enough vitamin A. Also, there are crops that are resistant to herbicides, which saves farmers time and money.

15. Websites Referenced • http://www.scq.ubc.ca/transgenic-crops-how-genetics-is-providing-new-ways-to-envision-agriculture/ • http://goldenrice.org/