Biotechnology Applying the Genetic Revolution

Abstract

Biotechnology has made the world a different place. Biotechnology has made it possible to identify the genetic causes behind many different inherited diseases. Biotechnology has made it possible for people to survive to a much higher population density by providing more food per acre. The advent of modern molecular biology and genetics has advanced our understanding of the genomes of a wide range of organisms from viruses and bacteria to trees and humans. The application of this knowledge has revolutionized the sciences, changing them from a descriptive nature to a variety of disciplines that provide new products such as drugs, vaccines, and foods. Biotechnology has opened doors to making proteins with new functions, and even new biochemical pathways with altered products. With new proteins and new biochemical pathways, it seems only logical to find ways to incorporate the new functions into crops, into animals, and, it is hoped, into people with genetically based illnesses. Only a short time ago, agriculturists largely relied on green fingers to get good yields; today they use green fluorescent protein to assess gene expression in transgenic crops. The ability to make such direct changes will result in major changes for the future. Will biotechnology find the proverbial fountain of youth by identifying the molecular changes that cause us to age or develop cancer? Will it change the way we treat diseases? Will the way we wage war change with the development of new biological agents? Biotechnology: Applying the Genetic Revolution explains how the information from the genetic revolution is being used to answer some of these questions. It informs the reader about the many avenues where biotechnology has changed the original field of study. The first few chapters provide a clear and concise review of the basics of molecular biology. These topics are explained in more detail in the first book of this series, entitled Molecular Biology: Understanding the Genetic Revolution . This review will take the student through the basics, including DNA structure, gene expression, and protein synthesis, as well as survey the variety of organisms used in biotechnology research. The student is then presented with the basic methodologies used in biotechnology research. Chapter 3 explains how nucleic acids are isolated, cloned into humanmade genetic vehicles, and then reinserted into one of the model organisms for in-depth analysis. The next two chapters discuss in more detail various techniques that have been developed to investigate the function of genes. Chapter 4 focuses on DNA, dealing with both in vivo and in vitro synthesis of DNA and the polymerase chain reaction. Chapter 5 focuses on RNA, explaining antisense technology, RNA interference, and ribozymes. Familiarity with these chapters is critical to understanding the rest of the textbook. The remaining chapters focus on different fields of research, presenting some of the ways the genetic revolution has irreversibly changed these areas. Chapter 6 begins this approach by presenting newer techniques to generate antibodies for genetic research and for creating new vaccines. Chapter 7 delves into a different realm, one based on the nanoscale. This chapter evaluates how molecular biology will be changed by the ability of scientists to work in the nanoscale world. It discusses how scientists are using novel nanoscale structures to deliver drugs, identify biological molecules in situ , and manufacture antibacterial materials. The chapter illustrates how nanobiotechnology exploits the self-assembly property of DNA to create nanodevices. It shows how DNA can physically control the shape of proteins. This new field of research is intimately intertwined with molecular biology and will only become a stronger component of molecular biology courses in the future.