Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

CON HUMAN GENETIC ENGINEERING
New Project 4.

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In one of the first successful attempts at genetically engineering mosquitoes, HHMI researchers have altered the way the insects respond to odors, including the smell of humans and the insect repellant DEET. The research not only demonstrates that mosquitoes can be genetically altered using the latest research techniques, but paves the way to understanding why the insect is so attracted to humans, and how to block that attraction.

The time has come now to do genetics in these important disease-vector insects. I think our new work is a great example that you can do it, says Leslie Vosshall, an HHMI investigator at The Rockefeller University who led the new research, published May 29, 2013 in the journal Nature.

By disrupting a single gene, we can fundamentally confuse the mosquito from its task of seeking humans. Leslie B. Vosshall

In 2007, scientists announced the completion of the full genome sequence of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits dengue and yellow fever. A year later, when Vosshall became an HHMI investigator, she shifted the focus of her lab from Drosophila flies to mosquitoes with the specific goal of genetically engineering the insects. Studying mosquitoes appealed to her because of their importance as disease carriers, as well as their unique attraction to humans.

Vosshalls first target: a gene called orco, which her lab had deleted in genetically engineered flies 10 years earlier. We knew this gene was important for flies to be able to respond to the odors they respond to, says Vosshall. And we had some hints that mosquitoes interact with smells in their environment, so it was a good bet that something would interact with orco in mosquitoes.

Vosshalls team turned to a genetic engineering tool called zinc-finger nucleases to specifically mutate the orco gene in Aedes aegypti. They injected the targeted zinc-finger nucleases into mosquito embryos, waited for them to mature, identified mutant individuals, and generated mutant strains that allowed them to study the role of orco in mosquito biology. The engineered mosquitoes showed diminished activity in neurons linked to odor-sensing. Then, behavioral tests revealed more changes.

When given a choice between a human and any other animal, normal Aedes aegypti will reliably buzz toward the human. But the mosquitoes with orco mutations showed reduced preference for the smell of humans over guinea pigs, even in the presence of carbon dioxide, which is thought to help mosquitoes respond to human scent. By disrupting a single gene, we can fundamentally confuse the mosquito from its task of seeking humans, says Vosshall. But they dont yet know whether the confusion stems from an inability to sense a bad smell coming from the guinea pig, a good smell from the human, or both.

Next, the team tested whether the mosquitoes with orco mutations responded differently to DEET. When exposed to two human armsone slathered in a solution containing 10 percent DEET, the active ingredient in many bug repellants, and the other untreatedthe mosquitoes flew equally toward both arms, suggesting they couldnt smell the DEET. But once they landed on the arms, they quickly flew away from the DEET-covered one. This tells us that there are two totally different mechanisms that mosquitoes are using to sense DEET, explains Vosshall. One is whats happening in the air, and the other only comes into action when the mosquito is touching the skin. Such dual mechanisms had been discussed but had never been shown before.

Vosshall and her collaborators next want to study in more detail how the orco protein interacts with the mosquitoes odorant receptors to allow the insects to sense smells. We want to know what it is about these mosquitoes that makes them so specialized for humans, she says. And if we can also provide insights into how existing repellants are working, then we can start having some ideas about what a next-generation repellant would look like.

Photo: Zach Veilleux (The Rockefeller University)

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Genetic Engineering Alters Mosquitoes’ Sense of Smell

Unzeen (music) - Genetic Engineering

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Unzeen (music) - Genetic Engineering - Video

Tomorrow People: Genetic Engineering
I wonder how much GM e-coli is inside the average soda pop can these days..? Spooky! The Tomorrow People, Hitler #39;s Last Secret, 1978, Thames Television Fair ...

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Tomorrow People: Genetic Engineering - Video

GM Salmon, Genetic Engineering of Farm Animals to Arrive in Summer 2013 Despite Public Opposition
By summer of 2013, US governing bodies, or, the alphabet soup of corruption (USDA, FDA, etc.) are expected to grant permission for scientists to roll out gen...

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GM Salmon, Genetic Engineering of Farm Animals to Arrive in Summer 2013 Despite Public Opposition - Video

In bed with Lucy and Dolly, Act One 1998, D.Fried (on genetic engineering and cloning)
( see transcript below ) Cast of characters: Lucy (the early hominid "Mother"), to Us ( Eve the "Myth" ), and to Dolly-the-Sheep (what Fried ironically refer...

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In bed with Lucy and Dolly, Act One 1998, D.Fried (on genetic engineering and cloning) - Video

May 22, 2013 A new, streamlined approach to genetic engineering drastically reduces the time and effort needed to insert new genes into bacteria, the workhorses of biotechnology, scientists are reporting. Published in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology, the method paves the way for more rapid development of designer microbes for drug development, environmental cleanup and other activities.

Keith Shearwin and colleagues explain that placing, or integrating, a piece of the genetic material DNA into a bacterium's genome is critical for making designer bacteria. That DNA can give microbes the ability to churn out ingredients for medication, for instance, or substances that break down oil after a big spill. But current genetic engineering methods are time-consuming and involve many steps. The approaches have other limitations as well. To address those drawbacks, the researchers sought to develop a new, one-step genetic engineering technology, which they named "clonetegration," a reference to clones or copies of genes or DNA fragments.

They describe development and successful laboratory tests of clonetegration in E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium bacteria, which are used in biotechnology. The method is quick, efficient and easy to do and can integrate multiple genes at the same time. They predict that clonetegration "will become a valuable technique facilitating genetic engineering with difficult-to-clone sequences and rapid construction of synthetic biological systems."

The authors acknowledge funding from the China Scholarship Council, the National Science Foundation Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center, the Human Frontier Science Program, the Australian Research Council and a William H. Elliott Biochemistry Fellowship.

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Fast new, one-step genetic engineering technology

Public release date: 22-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 202-872-6042 American Chemical Society

A new, streamlined approach to genetic engineering drastically reduces the time and effort needed to insert new genes into bacteria, the workhorses of biotechnology, scientists are reporting. Published in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology, the method paves the way for more rapid development of designer microbes for drug development, environmental cleanup and other activities.

Keith Shearwin and colleagues explain that placing, or integrating, a piece of the genetic material DNA into a bacterium's genome is critical for making designer bacteria. That DNA can give microbes the ability to churn out ingredients for medication, for instance, or substances that break down oil after a big spill. But current genetic engineering methods are time-consuming and involve many steps. The approaches have other limitations as well. To address those drawbacks, the researchers sought to develop a new, one-step genetic engineering technology, which they named "clonetegration," a reference to clones or copies of genes or DNA fragments.

They describe development and successful laboratory tests of clonetegration in E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium bacteria, which are used in biotechnology. The method is quick, efficient and easy to do and can integrate multiple genes at the same time. They predict that clonetegration "will become a valuable technique facilitating genetic engineering with difficult-to-clone sequences and rapid construction of synthetic biological systems."

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The authors acknowledge funding from the China Scholarship Council, the National Science Foundation Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center, the Human Frontier Science Program, the Australian Research Council and a William H. Elliott Biochemistry Fellowship.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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Fast new, 1-step genetic engineering technology

Coast To Coast AM - 03-24-2011 - Genetic Engineering - C2CAM Today DisclosureRadio.com
Coast to Coast AM May 2013 - Coast To Coast AM today - C2CAM Today Coast To Coast Am this week - C2CAM - DisclosureRadio #9633; Website: http://www.MRC2CAM.com #9633; ...

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Coast To Coast AM - 03-24-2011 - Genetic Engineering - C2CAM Today DisclosureRadio.com - Video

WORLD HISTORY GENETIC ENGINEERING PROJECT
7th period.

By: Adriessa Oliveira

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WORLD HISTORY GENETIC ENGINEERING PROJECT - Video