BIOTECHNOLOGY

What was the taco scare all about?
 
What is Bt toxin and how did it get into corn?
 Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis.
        A common bacterium in the soil
 It makes a protein in the form of a crystal -- in the spores
  It’s toxic to the caterpiggles of certain insects, specifically those of
   Lepidopterans -- flutterbies and moths. Poisons their digestive system
        Harmless to mammals like us
                One of the toxin proteins is called Cry1a
        What is the function of the toxin? Why does the bacterium make it???
 
Organic farmers and gardeners have used Bt for many years.
   Dust plants with bacterial spores. Prevents damage to corn and other veggies from chewing insects like corn ear worm.
    But can't use this technique in mass production agriculture.
        bacterial spores easily wash off plants, or are inactivated
 How ‘bout a different strategy?
   Why not put bacterial genes into plants? Use a promoter in front of gene that will allow expression in plants.
 
Different Bt toxins.
  Cry1a -- the kind used in most Bt corn
     The taco fiasco involved a different gene for a slightly different toxin, called Cry9c.
      What went wrong?

IN WHAT OTHER WAYS HAVE HAVE PLANTS BEEN MODIFIED THRU BIOTECH?
   Herbicide resistance
        What is glyphosate?
            How does it work in plants?
           Why are plants made resistant to it via biotech?
             How was glyphosate resistance placed into crops?
                Where did the resistance gene come from?

    Vitamin A enriched rice
How is beta carotene related to vitamin A?
Why enrich rice with beta carotene? Why is this important?
        How did the 'gene jockeys' do it?
            How do daffodils fit in to the story? What about the bacterium Erwinia?

Why are promoters important in foreign gene transfer and proper function in the plant?
 
What is meant by input and output traits?

How do you get a foreign gene into a plant's DNA?
 What is a gene gun? Microprojectiles?

What role does plant regeneration play in biotechnology?

Other ways to introduce genes into plants
    What is Agrobacterium tumefasciens?
    What does it do to plants naturally?
    What is a plasmid?
    How do scientists manipulate Agrobacterium to get genes into plant cells

What does 'screening' mean in biotech speak, and why is it important in biotech?
     How do you make sure your pet gene got into the plant?
       What role do antibiotics play in screening?