Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering is a combination of methods, techniques and technologies for isolating genes from cells or an organism, producing recombinant RNA and DNA, performing various manipulations with genes, and introducing them into other organisms. This discipline contributes to the desired characteristics of a mutable organism.

Science in a broad sense of genetic engineering is not, but it is considered a biotechnological tool. It applies research of such sciences as genetics, molecular biology, cytology, microbiology.

The created methods of genetic engineering, connected with the management of heredity, were one of the most striking events in the development of science.

Scientists, molecular biologists, biochemists have learned to change, modify genes and create completely new ones, combining genes from different organisms. They also learned and synthesized the material in accordance with the prescribed schemes. Artificial material scientists began to introduce into organisms, forcing them to work. Genetic engineering is based on all this work.

However, there is some limited "biological material". This problem scientists are trying to solve with the help of tissue cultures and plant cells. Experts note that this path is quite promising. During the last several decades, scientists have created techniques by which certain cells from plant or animal tissues can be made to develop and reproduce independently, separately from the body.

The achievements of genetic engineering are of great importance. Cell cultures are used in experiments, as well as in the industrial production of certain substances that can not be obtained by using bacterial cultures. However, in this area there are difficulties. So, for example, the problem is the lack of ability in animal cells to share the same infinite number of times as bacterial cells.

In the course of the experiments, fundamental discoveries were made. So, for the first time, a "chemically pure", isolated gene was derived. Subsequently, scientists discovered enzymes ligases and restriction enzymes. With the help of the latter it became possible to cut the gene into pieces - nucleotides. And with the help of ligases, you can combine, "glue" these pieces, but in a new combination, creating, constructing another gene.

Significant progress has been made by scientists in the process of "reading" biological information. For many years, the interpretation of the data embedded in the genes was studied by W. Gilbert and F. Senger, American and English scientists.

Specialists note that the genetic engineering for the entire period of its existence did not have a negative impact on the researchers themselves, did not harm the person and did not cause damage to nature. Scientists note that the results achieved both in the process of studying the functioning of the mechanisms that ensure the vital activity of organisms, and in the applied industry are very impressive. At the same time, the prospects are truly fantastic.

Despite the great importance of genetics and genetic engineering in agriculture and medicine, its main results have not yet been achieved.

Before scientists there are quite a lot of tasks. It is necessary to determine not only the functions and purpose of each gene, but also the conditions under which its activation takes place, during which periods of life, under what factors, in which parts of the organism it joins and provokes the synthesis of the corresponding protein. In addition, it is important to find out the role of this protein in the life of the organism, what kind of reactions it triggers, whether it goes beyond the cellular limits that the information carries. The problem of folding proteins is quite complex. The solution of these and many other tasks is carried out by scientists in the framework of genetic engineering.