How is genetic engineering of food done?
• First the engineers try to get the outside gene in: The natural defenses of plants or animals against foreign genes need to be overcome. There are two main ways of doing this: the “gene gun” and the “viral vector.” The “gene gun” shoots the gene into the recipient plant or animal. The “viral vector” infects it with the foreign gene. • Next, the engineers have to make sure the gene actually got in: Only about one in 10,000 attempts to introduce foreign genes actually works. Therefore, attached to the foreign gene is another gene, an “antibiotic resistance marker gene.” If cells from the organism are grown in a dish containing that antibiotic, and they don’t die, this means that the gene “got in.” • Finally, the engineers have to make sure the gene actually gets used: The organism that received the foreign gene may ignore the gene. Therefore, a “promoter” is included with the gene to make sure the gene becomes active. They say that genetic engineering is more precise than traditional b
