genetic Engineering

1 - WHAT ARE THE TRANSGENICOS?

A transgénico organism is that that has built-in a strange gene of another organism.
The genetic manipulation allows to transfer a gene of an organism and to insert it in another one. The resulting organism denominates transgénico or organism modified genetically (OMG). Trans is an area code that means ?of another side?
In order to obtain a OMG first chromosome and within him is due to identify what what fragment determines the characteristic that is wanted to introduce in the other organism. Soon this fragment must separate (?to cut itself?) of the rest of the chromosome, for it are used enzymes, like molecular scissors and adhesives that can chemically cut and stick the pieces of DNA in specific sites.
Later it is necessary to transfer this fragment to the chromosome of the cell guest, and for it there are two main procedures:
a) by means of a ?molecular firing?, that inserts inside the cell metal particles with adhered DNA fragments. Those that they manage to accede to the chromosomes in the nucleus of the cell they are built-in.
b) using an agent who transports the gene from an organism to another one, commonly a virus or a bacterium.
Ø the virus are not cellular organisms, are formed by a nucleico acid (DNA or ARN) surrounded by a protein cover; they reproduce only within the cells that infect.
Ø the bacteria are simple microorganisms formed by a single cell.

Finally, once transferred the genes, the new organism will trasmitirá the new characteristic to its descendants with each process of reproduction. A new type of bacterial organism, animal has been created therefore or transgénico vegetable.

TYPES OF TRANSGENICOS
There are animals, transgénicas bacteria and plants and have different uses.
The transgénicos animals are used much in basic investigation in laboratories.
Loas transgénicas bacteria is used to produce proteins, ocmo the human insulin, and other products like hormones.
But without a doubt the most important application has to do with the trangénicas plants. They have been managed to obtain plants:

* With resistance to herbicidas, plagues of insects and diseases caused by bacteria, fungi and virus.
* With different chemical composition, for example, amount and/or quality of starch, oil and proteins.
* With physiological characteristics different from the normal ones, for example, resistance to adverse climatic conditions, like the drought, and prolongation of the period of life of the fruit after harvest (like the tomato ?long life?)

Is all good one?
Several risks with the OMG can be detected, between which we can mention: economic-partner them, environmental, and related to the public health.

a) economic social:
in general, these insumos are handled at international level by the fusion of great interests that the totality of the world-wide commerce of foods, chemistries and phamacists control almost. By its nature, this process of concentration will aggravate the distribution of the entrance and the resources.
But the greatest innovation is the production of ?suicidal seeds? that is to say, car destructive, that they will prevent to count to the producer with new seeds for the next harvests, doing it employee of the distributor, and with it, ?tied? of agroquímicos produced by the same companies. This gene was patented with the name of ?System of technological Protection? or? Terminator Technology ".

b) environmental:
The genetic uniformity and the monocultures will produce displacements of adapted the local varieties good, and increase risks of greater sensitivity to plagues for which the conditions of control are not given
To many transgénicos cultures genes of a called bacterium Bacillus have been gotten up them thuringiensis (Bt) that exists naturally in the ground and that secretes a substance that kills larvae of a big group of insects, bringing risks of resistance and transfer of toxins to the natural nutritional chains.

c) public health
There are some worrisome aspects related to the effect of transgénicos foods on the human health:
1) Many of the genes never had not been integrated to the diet, thus do not know possible effects.
2) Some foods or have been demonstrated like allergic potentials, like the soybean with genes of chestnut tree of For, or of cancerigenic risk, like the hormone of bovine growth
3) In genetic engineering often genes of resistance to antibiotics are included; if these emigrate to pathogenic bacteria that affect the human health, they can develop his resistance such.

2. THE GENIC THERAPY
The genic therapy is defined as the transference of a new genetic material to the cells of an individual with the intention of producing therapeutic benefits in he himself.
The transference of genes with therapeutic aims represents a very attractive concept, since it can be used for deals with diseases about very diverse classes, and very difficult treatment at the moment: virales cancer, infections, hereditary genetic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, etc.

The success of the different protocols from present and future therapy depends to a great extent on the types of used vectors to transport the therapeutic genes. Nowadays the greater vectors available are based on the natural systems of genic transference: the virus. The virus has turned out to be during million years, very effective vehicles to transport their own genome to the cells that infect. Such virus can also allow insertion of therapeutic genes to expenses to lose part of their own viral genetic information.
This means that once built-in in a hospedador organism, they cannot damage nor talk back the patient. Most of the protocols of genic therapy they use some of the three types of virus that have been modified this way: adenovirus, virus associated to adenovirus and retrovirus.

Many problems must have solution before the genic therapy can be a therapeutic strategy universally extended, and is probably only complement of present techniques, but, anyway, it represents a great promise for the treatment of diseases that at the moment have difficult treatment and must be Vista with the optimism attributable to all medical advance.

Author: Lidia Mariana Gogorza.
Lawyer in Health Animal and Veterinary Doctor
Graduated as the Face of Cs Veterinary of the National University of Center of the Pcia of Buenos Aires. At the moment she exerts like educational and investigating in the mentioned House, in the Dpto de Sanidad Animal and Preventive Medicine
She participates like attached Professor in courses of Inmunología (basic and special), and in Virology.
She develops his Doctoral Thesis in the immunity to the bovine viral Diarrea (BVDV).
She participates in the management of the UNCPBA like Superior Advisor.
www.lidiagogorza.mascotia.com
to gogorzalidia@ciudad.com.ar

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