Intro to the Journey of a Gene - SDS

Grace Troupe, Presenter Author

10/11/2018 Added

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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

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[00:00:04.720]Welcome to The Journey of a Gene.
[00:00:06.770]If you haven't already,
[00:00:07.890]be sure to watch the intro video on the homepage
[00:00:10.430]so you are familiar with the problem
[00:00:12.340]of soybean sudden death syndrome
[00:00:14.090]and why we are using genetic engineering to solve it.
[00:00:17.820]In each section of this site,
[00:00:19.440]we'll have a brief video to remind you
[00:00:21.250]of where the gene has been and where it's going.
[00:00:24.210]So let's start by looking at the big picture.
[00:00:28.430]First, genetic engineering is simply one of many tools
[00:00:31.550]that plant breeders can use to solve problems.
[00:00:34.300]Since it's a pretty expensive and long process,
[00:00:37.590]first we need to consider,
[00:00:39.640]why do we use genetic engineering?
[00:00:42.670]There are two main reasons that breeders use it.
[00:00:46.210]First is if the gene that gives the trait that we want
[00:00:50.290]doesn't exist in the species we're working with.
[00:00:54.240]Second is if the trait does exist,
[00:00:57.100]but it's hard to breed for because it's controlled
[00:00:59.150]by too many genes.
[00:01:01.500]So in the story of soybean sudden death syndrome,
[00:01:05.190]which of these two reasons
[00:01:06.670]are why we're using genetic engineering?
[00:01:11.390]If you said reason number two, you're correct.
[00:01:14.540]SDS's resistance is controlled by
[00:01:18.410]so many genes that it's really hard
[00:01:20.170]to make progress through breeding.
[00:01:25.770]So before we get started
[00:01:27.630]on the process of genetic engineering,
[00:01:30.840]the gene discovery process has to take place first.
[00:01:34.560]So what is this?
[00:01:37.640]This is where the researcher identifies possible genes
[00:01:41.250]that can solve the problem that they're working with.
[00:01:44.240]So in this case, our researcher,
[00:01:46.150]and his name is Madan, he had to find genes
[00:01:49.030]that could fight soybean sudden death syndrome.
[00:01:51.560]So he's looking for anything
[00:01:52.970]that can either stop the pathogen from infecting the plant
[00:01:56.510]or stop the symptoms of the plant,
[00:01:59.380]of the disease on the plant.
[00:02:01.780]So since the genetic code is universal,
[00:02:04.240]this means that Madan isn't limited
[00:02:06.740]in where he can look for the gene.
[00:02:08.600]It can come from anywhere in the tree of life.
[00:02:11.890]So in the gene discovery process,
[00:02:14.120]Madan found three different genes
[00:02:16.700]that could potentially fight the disease,
[00:02:19.650]and each one of these worked a little differently.
[00:02:22.390]So first, he found a resistance gene
[00:02:25.540]that was actually already in soybean.
[00:02:28.550]He found that if he took this gene out of the plant
[00:02:31.750]and modified it a little bit,
[00:02:33.480]he could cause it to be overexpressed,
[00:02:36.060]meaning the gene would be much more active in the plant.
[00:02:39.650]His second option was a gene from a mouse.
[00:02:43.960]This gene codes for antibodies that can grab the toxins
[00:02:48.030]that are produced by the fungus which causes SDS.
[00:02:51.700]So it can protect the plant by grabbing those toxins.
[00:02:56.250]His third option was this little weed, called Arabidopsis,
[00:03:01.320]and it had a gene that gave resistance
[00:03:04.110]to the disease as well.
[00:03:06.260]So Madan could use any of these three sources
[00:03:09.190]since DNA and the genetic code is universal,
[00:03:13.470]which means even this mouse gene
[00:03:15.420]has no troubles working in a plant.
[00:03:18.820]So it turns out that the third option,
[00:03:22.540]this Arabidopsis plant, the gene gave the best results.
[00:03:26.770]So this is the gene that we'll use
[00:03:28.560]to start the process of genetic engineering.
[00:03:33.990]As we follow this Arabidopsis gene into soybean
[00:03:37.310]through The Journey of a Gene,
[00:03:38.960]we'll see these four main steps.
[00:03:42.550]So first, the gene will begin its journey
[00:03:45.340]by being taken out of the Arabidopsis plant to be modified,
[00:03:49.560]and this is step one, called Designing the Gene.
[00:03:55.440]Next, the gene needs to be put into a soybean plant,
[00:03:58.660]which we call Transformation.
[00:04:03.810]Once the gene is in the soybean plant, it needs to be bred
[00:04:07.700]into the latest and greatest soybean lines,
[00:04:10.360]and this is the third step, Breeding.
[00:04:12.870]Finally, we need to make sure that we test the plants
[00:04:16.100]to be sure the gene is present and turned on,
[00:04:18.450]which is step four, DNA Testing.
[00:04:21.480]This entire process is controlled by
[00:04:24.120]strict government safety regulation and testing.
[00:04:30.200]To learn more about the regulation process,
[00:04:32.880]you can go to the homepage and click Risks and Benefits.
[00:04:36.300]In that section, you'll be able to find more information.
[00:04:41.210]To follow The Journey of a Gene,
[00:04:42.590]each section will prepare you with the information you need
[00:04:45.550]to understand that specific step of genetic engineering.
[00:04:49.500]And then finally, you'll meet the scientist
[00:04:51.040]who does that step.
[00:04:52.810]You can skip videos in the sections
[00:04:55.530]based on what you're already familiar with.
[00:04:58.160]You won't want to miss the research,
[00:05:00.090]seeing the researcher in their lab though,
[00:05:01.710]so be sure to always click the In The Lab
[00:05:04.140]or In The Field section in every step of this website.
[00:05:09.170]So let's get started on The Journey of a Gene.

Intro to the Journey of a Gene - SDS

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Intro to the Journey of a Gene - SDS

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