Daisy The Cow: Genetic Manipulation

Genetic Manipulation Report-Daisy the Cow
Humans manipulate genetic transfer when cloning animals and modifying expressions of a gene to achieve the desirable traits, alleles or phenotype by changing the DNA sequence of an organism (Genetic Manipulation). This allows the organism to reproduce offspring with the specific gene and allows them to pass on those desired genes. An example of this is Daisy the cow. Daisy was cloned and genetically modified so that milk will not produce that contains the protein BLG as some infants are allergic to a “whey protein in milk called BLG” (beta-lactoglobulin) . RNA interference and SCNT (somatic cell nuclear transfer) are examples and techniques used to clone a cow like Daisy.

Process and techniques of
Gene knockdown is a technique, which an expression of an organism’s gene are reduced by inhibiting a specific target gene to stop the production of the protein. On the other hand, gene knockout is another technique where an expression of an organism’s gene is completely silenced and degraded/eliminated. The target genes are completely eliminated.
RNA Interference (RNAi) (Gene Knockdown)
RNA interference (RNAi) is a specific form of process of gene knockdown, which is used in the genetic modification of Daisy the cow. RNA interference is the process at which a gene in a DNA sequence is “silenced” (turned off). RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) is important for making proteins and is like DNA although has a different sugar ribose than to deoxyribose sugar. RNAi has been used on Daisy the cow, as mRNA goes through a translation process of producing a protein. Since BLG is a protein, scientists would be able to figure out the RNA/DNA sequence to identify the BLG protein code in the mRNA to be able to silence
In the nucleus of a eukaryote cell (Daisy) it has genes that encode proteins that are transcribed by the enzyme RNA polymerase 2. The mRNA (messenger RNA which contains genetic code) is the primary product formed when a gene or segment of DNA is being copied and the thymine is replaced by uracil. RNA Transcription is when only one strand of DNA is being copied (transcribed) into RNA and the uracil are replacing the thymine which results into the mRNA. By copying / transcribing the DNA into RNA it is able to have the same genetic codes. It is then processed further by splicing. After being processed it is then transported out of the nucleus and into the cytoplasm. In the cytoplasm, the mRNA goes through a ribosome to catalyse and translate the genetic code of the mRNA. While it goes through the ribosome the translation of the mRNA forms a polypeptide chains (amino acid chains) which folds into proteins. This is also where effects of the gene knockdown (silencing) of small RNA can take