Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface to the second edition
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The basis of genetic engineering
- Part II The methodology of gene manipulation
- Part III Genetic engineering in action
- 9 Understanding genes and genomes
- 10 Genetic engineering and biotechnology
- 11 Medical and forensic applications of gene manipulation
- 12 Transgenic plants and animals
- 13 The other sort of cloning
- 14 Brave new world or genetic nightmare?
- Suggestions for further reading
- Using the World Wide Web
- Glossary
- Index
9 - Understanding genes and genomes
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface to the second edition
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The basis of genetic engineering
- Part II The methodology of gene manipulation
- Part III Genetic engineering in action
- 9 Understanding genes and genomes
- 10 Genetic engineering and biotechnology
- 11 Medical and forensic applications of gene manipulation
- 12 Transgenic plants and animals
- 13 The other sort of cloning
- 14 Brave new world or genetic nightmare?
- Suggestions for further reading
- Using the World Wide Web
- Glossary
- Index
Summary
In Part II we have examined some of the basic techniques of gene manipulation. These techniques, and many more sophisticated variations of them, give the scientist the tools that enable genes to be isolated and characterised. In this final section of the book we will consider some of the applications of gene manipulation. Of necessity, this will be a highly selective treatment, the aim being to give some idea of the immense scope of the subject whilst trying to include some detail in certain key areas. We will also look more broadly at some of the ethical problems that gene manipulation poses, and at the topic of organismal cloning.
In many ways genetic engineering has undergone a shift in emphasis over the past few years, a way from the technical problems that had to be solved before the technology became ‘user friendly’ enough for widespread use. Gene manipulation is now used as a tool to address many diverse biological problems that were previously intractable, and the applications of the subject appear at times to be limited only by the imagination of the scientists who use the technology in basic research, medicine, biotechnology and other related disciplines.
Analysis of gene structure and function
In terms of ‘pure’ science, the major impact of gene manipulation has been in the study of gene structure and expression. The organisation of genes within genomes is a fast-developing area that is essentially an extension of the early work on gene structure.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- An Introduction to Genetic Engineering , pp. 153 - 177Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2002