Background
GMO (n)
- an organism whose genetic material has been altered by means of genetic engineering.
Technically...
For as long as humans have grown their food, genetic modification has been taking place. The process of selective breeding, or artificial selection, involves breeding 2 organisms with distinct characteristics in order to produce offspring with desirable traits. Farmers have been using this technique for centuries in order to grow the crops that were fitted to their liking. Almost all of the plants seen today have extreme differences compared to how they were before thousands of years of selective breeding.
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Genetic engineering, unlike selective breeding, allows a scientist to guarantee a trait to be expressed. In order for this to happen, scientists go directly into an organism's genome and make changes based on the desired result. Other options of inserting the gene are available. This process eliminates the factor of probability, which selective breeding heavily relies upon.
So what's the difference?
Types of Genetic Modification
Transgenesis:
Transgenesis is the transfer of cloned genes to another breed or species. This is the most commonly used method of genetic engineering. Genes taken from a different organism are inserted into an organism's genome at known locations, resulting in an additional trait expressed.
Silencing:
Silencing involves RNAi, a cellular process used to inhibit gene expression. An enzyme, "Dicer", cuts dsRNA into small parts. These parts bind onto Argonaute proteins, where a single strand is removes. This allows mRNA to bind onto the remaining strain. From here, the Argonaute protein has full control over the mRNA, which is responsible for delivering the instructions for making proteins. Arctic apples have been genetically engineered to silence the gene which causes it to brown.
Mutagenesis:
Mutagenesis is a more radical form of genetic modification. Random amounts of radiation are exposed to an organism, generally a seed. There is no way to tell which genes are affected from this method. Ruby Red Grapefruits were developed using this method.
