Informing The Queens College Campus about .
As we discussed in class, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are a rapid growing problem. They range from the fruits, vegetables, and milk to the animals we use as food. Introducing foreign genes can be combined into the cells of an organism through the use of a "gene gun", or through the use of a bacterium or virus, in either instance these fragments of genetic information may and usually land on unexpected areas of the DNA, causing the production of unexpected proteins to be made, which may introduce a known allergen or form one that was previously inexistent, or may halt the production of certain vital proteins; this is known as insertional mutagenesis. .
Other ways of treating organisms with newly introduced genes are through their insertion into a hormone. One specific example of this is the use of recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone(rBGH) a genetically engineered copy of Bovine Somatropin(BST). In this instance they are not treating the organism itself but altering the genetic patterns of the hormone, because hormones are a stimulus they trigger one set of responses, which should in theory affect only those set areas of the organism. BST affects the lactating abilities of cows after it has given birth, but when the cow is introduced to rBGH its udders are significantly increased in size, almost half the size of the animal. There are always traces of rBGH in the fluids of the cow including milk.
"Round-up Ready" crops: Crops genetically altered (GA) to be resistant to "Round-up" a chemical pesticide.
Bt: Bacillus Thuringiensis natural alternative to chemical pesticides: usually used to rid borers.
Bt crop: Crops genetically altered to contain Bt in every cell of the plant.
Terminator gene: A gene that "Round-up Ready" seeds and crops have to make them sterile.
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