transgenic and transformation and gene therapy

[Smiley_]

are they they same thing or just similar?

[simpak]

They're not really the same thing but you use transformation for gene therapy.
So like, gene therapy is where you transform/transfect a cell such that it expresses the normal form of a defective gene, it's a therapeutic mechanism to relieve a genetic defect.

Transforming cells or creating transgenic organisms has far wider application, especially in research.  For instance you could create transgenic mice or transform a bacterium solely so you could experiment on them.  But that's not really gene therapy - you're just creating a model to work with, creating a system through which to express a protein or test a biochemical hypothesis etc.  There are a wide variety of applications - transformation just means you're adding a new gene (or genes) to a cell, not that the gene is going to be used for therapeutic purposes.

[Smiley_]

They're not really the same thing but you use transformation for gene therapy.
So like, gene therapy is where you transform/transfect a cell such that it expresses the normal form of a defective gene, it's a therapeutic mechanism to relieve a genetic defect.

Transforming cells or creating transgenic organisms has far wider application, especially in research.  For instance you could create transgenic mice or transform a bacterium solely so you could experiment on them.  But that's not really gene therapy - you're just creating a model to work with, creating a system through which to express a protein or test a biochemical hypothesis etc.  There are a wide variety of applications - transformation just means you're adding a new gene (or genes) to a cell, not that the gene is going to be used for therapeutic purposes.

thank you



I didn't think they were the same but I just wasn't sure of the difference

so when they make the rabbits that glow (transgenic rabbits)

the genetic code of the organism is affected because they insert the glowing gene into the animal?

when is this done?

[simpak]

...glowing rabbits.
Okay so you would insert the gene but you wouldn't say the 'genetic code' is affected; it's genotype is affected.  But remember that depending on what you use to transform the gene you insert may or may not be integrated into the genome.  To make a transfection you would usually microinject your construct into the animal like at the embryonic stage.  And you would first grow out the construct in bacteria, then extract it and put it into the eukaryote.

[Smiley_]

...glowing rabbits.
Okay so you would insert the gene but you wouldn't say the 'genetic code' is affected; it's genotype is affected.  But remember that depending on what you use to transform the gene you insert may or may not be integrated into the genome.  To make a transfection you would usually microinject your construct into the animal like at the embryonic stage.  And you would first grow out the construct in bacteria, then extract it and put it into the eukaryote.

sorry why would you not say genetic code?

also it would affect the gene pool wouldn't it because they are able to reproduce ?

[simpak]

sorry why would you not say genetic code?

also it would affect the gene pool wouldn't it because they are able to reproduce ?

Because genetic code = the code used to read an amino acid sequence from the DNA.  Genetic code is not the specific genetic makeup of an organism: that is its genotype.
It might affect their offspring, if their offspring inherit the gene.  When you do gene therapy that's not going to affect offspring because you're usually doing it to an adult in a somatic cell (eg blood cell) that is terminally differentiated a lot of the time, it's certainly not in the germline.
If you give a construct early on in the embryo there is a good chance it will be passed down to offspring but depending on whether its integrated or not it will be diluted out.  So like, one gamete might end up with the gene but another might end up with no gene - only some of your offspring would have the gene.  But there is the potential to affect the gene pool depending on where the manipulation was carried out.

[Smiley_]

so if the question said how is the genetic code of the affected organism changed ?
you would say it isn't

[simpak]

Which question asked that, that's quite convoluted.  No, the genetic code is universal: it applies to all organisms, it wouldn't change via transforming.  Genotype would change.

[Smiley_]

Which question asked that, that's quite convoluted.  No, the genetic code is universal: it applies to all organisms, it wouldn't change via transforming.  Genotype would change.

practice sac question

[simpak]

Oh okay, haha.  Yeah the genetic code is the thing that's like ATG = a start codon.  It is in no way specific to an organism.

[Smiley_]

i have always being thinking about it wrong whoops

[Smiley_]

in gene therapy does the faulty gene get passed onto the offspring? or is it the new gene?

[Irving4Prez]

in gene therapy does the faulty gene get passed onto the offspring? or is it the new gene?

The inserted gene isn't passed onto future generations

[Smiley_]

The inserted gene isn't passed onto future generations

so the faulty allele is ?

[Irving4Prez]

so the faulty allele is ?

Yes, that's how disorders are inherited from parents