Genetic engineering can be used to manufacture many pharmaceutical and agricultural products.
The diagram below shows how human growth hormone is produced using genetically engineered bacteria:
Which part of the human cell is inserted into the bacterial plasmid?
Which substance is produced by the genetically-engineered bacteria to be used as a medicine?
Historically, human growth hormone was extracted from the pituitary glands of deceased human donors (cadavers).
Why is genetically engineered human growth hormone more advantageous or safer for patients than cadaver-derived growth hormone?
Select one option:
- Cadaver-derived growth hormone can transmit fatal pathogens or infectious proteins (prions) to the recipient.
- Genetically engineered growth hormone contains active viruses from the host bacteria.
- Genetically engineered growth hormone is too large to be absorbed by target tissues.
Genetic engineering can also be used in crop production. Weeds are a major problem for farmers because they compete with crop plants like soybean.
Give three abiotic or space-related factors that weeds and soybean plants compete for.
Some soybean crops are genetically modified (GM) to be resistant to a weed killer called glyphosate.
Suggest one advantage of spraying glyphosate on fields where GM soybean is growing.
Suggest one biological or environmental concern of using GM herbicide-resistant crops. Do not refer to economic cost.