PASSeL: Recent Episodes
None
Designing the gene is the first step of genetic engineering. This video provides a brief summary of plant gene design as part of the SDS in soybean discussion in Journey of a Gene.
Preventing weed resistance to chemical control takes good stewardship. This video details how farmers can prevent weed resistance.
This video details how a population of weeds develop genetic resistance to various forms of chemical control.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique that allows you to make millions or even billions of copies of sections of DNA. This video walks you through how it works.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique that allows you to make millions or even billions of copies of sections of DNA. This video walks you through how it works.
Are GMOs regulated? Who determines if they are safe?
The EPA, USDA-APHIS, and FDA are all involved in the process of determining if a genetically engineered food is safe before it ever reaches the consumer. You can watch this video to learn about how and when these agencies are involved and how it compares to traditional breeding methods.
This video provides a basic overview of the body's response to a new allergen. There is a lot of confusion surrounding the risks associated with genetically engineered products...but there are only 2 risks: 1. The new protein could be a toxin or 2. the new protein could be an allergen. It is easy to test for toxicity because all people, in general, react the same to a toxin...so the mechanism is easier to investigate. Allergic reactions, however, are specific to individuals and effect less than 1% of the population. Thus, it takes more investigation to determine if a new protein may be an allergen. Understanding the body's response to allergens can give us the background knowledge to understand testing that is done to reduce the risk of introducing new allergens through genetic engineering.
A food safety testing expert helps us understand how food safety testing is done before a genetically engineered product is ever allowed on the market.
This video walks through the thought process of a breeder at the level of a gene. You can watch it to see how Punnett squares and chromosomes are considered in the backcrossing process.
Plant transformation is the second step of genetic engineering. This video provides a brief overview of plant transformation to see how the transgene is delivered to the soybean plant. This video also gives context to where we are in the genetic engineering process.
This video gives an overview of the plant genetic engineering process including a brief look into why we do genetic engineering as well as Madan's gene discovery process for fighting soybean SDS
Genetic engineers must understand the 3 gene regions and how they work. This allows them to change certain regions to get the transgene to be expressed in the desired area.
One way to put new genes in plants is by using the soil bacteria Agrobacterium. This process is started by putting your transgene into a plasmid so that the bacteria has the proper instructions for sending the gene into plant cells. This video walks through the general steps of putting a transgene into a plasmid.
When Agrobacterium is used to insert a transgene into a plant, one or two extra genes can be added to help simplify the transformation process. These are known as marker genes. For a basic idea of why and how marker genes are used, watch this video.
This video helps you learn the basic parts of a flower. This information is useful in knowing how to make a successful cross.
This video will help you get more practice thinking like a transgene designer. You must pick the right coding region and promoter to meet your goals for your end product.
Although the transgene is put into a soybean plant in the plant transformation process, the variety used for transformation is not the 'latest and greatest.' In order to get the transgene in the very best varieties that farmers want to grow, breeders must cross the transgenic plant with the 'best or elite' variety. They continue to cross 'back' to the elite variety for several generations. The end result is the elite plant with the transgene added.
After a soybean plant has gone through plant transformation and contains the new transgene, the process of genetic engineering is still far from over! This plant must be backcrossed to an elite variety to move the gene into soybeans that farmers want to grow. Watch this video to get an overview of that process.
DNA testing is used to determine which plants to keep in a breeding program to ensure the transgene is carried through each generation. This video gives a brief overview of how this is done.
DNA extraction is an important first step in many molecular techniques. This video breaks the process down into its basic steps
Gel Electrophoresis is a common technique scientists use to visualize DNA changes or differences. This video walks you though how this technique works.
Discussion of the impacts of GMOs on butterflies and the environment for the FCGMOs site