Flavr Savr tomato
The Flavr Savr tomato was the
first commercially grown genetically engineered food to be granted a license
for human consumption. By adding an antisense gene, the California-based
company Calgene hoped to slow the ripening process of the tomato to prevent
softening and rotting, while allowing the tomato to retain its natural flavor
and color.
The FDA approved the Flavr Savr in 1994; however, the tomatoes
were so delicate that they were difficult to transport, and they were off the
market by 1997. On top of production and shipping problems, the tomatoes were
also reported to have a very bland taste: “The Flavr Savr tomatoes didn’t taste
that good because of the variety from which they were developed. There was very
little flavor to save,” said Christ Watkins, a horticulture professor at
Cornell University.
Banana vaccines
People may soon be getting vaccinated for diseases like hepatitis
B and cholera by simply taking a bite of banana. Researchers have successfully
engineered bananas, potatoes, lettuce, carrots and tobacco to produce vaccines,
but they say bananas are the ideal production and delivery vehicle.
When an altered form of a virus is injected into a banana sapling,
the virus’ genetic material quickly becomes a permanent part of the plant’s
cells. As the plant grows, its cells produce the virus proteins — but not the
infectious part of the virus. When people eat a bite of a genetically engineered banana, which is full of virus proteins, their immune systems build up
antibodies to fight the disease — just like a traditional vaccine.
Glow-in-the-dark cats
In 2007, South Korean scientists altered a cat’s DNA to make it
glow in the dark and then took that DNA and cloned other cats from it —
creating a set of fluffy, fluorescent felines. Here’s how they did it: The researchers took skin cells
from Turkish Angora female cats and used a virus to insert genetic instructions
for making red fluorescent protein. Then they put the gene-altered nuclei into
the eggs for cloning, and the cloned embryos were implanted back into the donor
cats — making the cats the surrogate mothers for their own clones.
What’s the point of creating a pet that doubles as a nightlight?
Scientists say the ability to engineer animals with fluorescent proteins will
enable them to artificially create animals with human genetic diseases.
There are more examples of genetic engineering, so you can check
this out :-)
12 Bizarre Examples of Genetic Engineering - mnn.com
12 Bizarre Examples of Genetic Engineering - mnn.com
