Jack+Duesterdick


 * __DNA CREATIONS I __****__nc. __****__© __**

**__About DNA Creations Inc.__**©
DNA Creations Inc.© was founded in 2031 and has been thriving for the past fifteen years. Based in Niskayuna, New York, we have facilities located all around America and international facilities on every continent besides Antarctica. DNA Creations Inc. © is devoted to helping those with various conditions get through everyday life and ultimately, help cure them. We have distributed insulin to diabetics around the world and even helped hemophiliacs clot their cuts. Through the advances in Recombinant DNA Technology, DNA Creations Inc.© plans to continue their work around the world by saving more and more lives every day.

The founder of DNA Creations Inc.© is world renowned scientist Jack Duesterdick. Jack graduated from Stanford University with a 4.8 GPA, an undergraduate degree in genetics, and a master’s degree in biotechnology. After travelling the world for five years, studying and comparing DNA from thousands of species, Jack returned to his hometown of Niskayuna, New York. At the age of thirty-five, Jack founded DNA Creations Inc. © in hope that he would be able to cure some of the various conditions around the world that had yet to be cured. Fifteen years later at the age of fifty, Jack’s dream is finally coming true as DNA Creations Inc. © saves lives every day.
 * __About the Founder__**

Before giving the details of how this technology works, you should be informed of its historical discovery. In 1966, a molecular biologist named Herbert Boyer (Bottom-left) headed to the University of California at San Francisco as an assistant professor. By 1969, a bacterium called Escherichia coli, commonly known as E. coli, caught his attention. What really intrigued him were things called restriction enzymes in the E. coli that had the ability to cut DNA strands in a particular fashion. The ability of cutting DNA and pasting it together, which will be explained in the following section, became a precise exercise.
 * __History of Recombinant DNA Technology__**

This discovery led to a stimulating discussion between Boyer and a Stanford scientist named Stanley Cohen (Top- right) at a conference in Hawaii. Cohen had successfully extracted ringlets of DNA called plasmids found in bacterium and inserted them into other bacterial cells. Combining this process with Boyer’s ‘DNA splicing,’ the two men were able to recombine specific segments of DNA and insert them into bacterial cells. These cells would then act as manufacturing plants for specific proteins. This breakthrough would become the basis of the biotechnology industry and build the path for companies such as DNA Creations Inc.© today.

There are three methods for Recombinant DNA Technology. The most widely known and practiced methods being Transformation. The process of transformation works by first locating and isolating a plasmid. A plasmid is a circular structure of DNA within a cell of bacteria that can replicate independently of the chromosomes.
 * __What is Recombinant DNA Technology?__**

Along with a plasmid, DNA must also be located and isolated from the nucleus of a cell, also known as the donor organism. The DNA as a whole is not what will be used to create recombinant DNA, but a specific gene found within the DNA, such as a gene that codes for the production of insulin for example.

Once the plasmid and DNA are both isolated, they are both cut with the same restriction enzyme. Restriction enzymes target specific sequences of nitrogenous bases (Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, and Thymine) and cut them. When they are cut however, they are not cut in a straight line, but they become staggered. These staggered ends are known as “sticky ends” because they are able to bond with complementary sequences. This cutting creates a plasmid with a section missing, or cut out, and only a certain gene from the DNA, which was cut out. Since both the plasmid and the gene of interest were cut with the same restriction enzyme; they now have “sticky ends” that are complimentary to one another. (Restriction Enzyme Process)

In order to now combine these complimentary parts, an enzyme known as DNA ligase is added when mixing the plasmid and gene of interest. DNA ligase creates bonds at the ends known as phosphodiester bonds. These bonds are simply bonds between a sugar and phosphate group, which create the backbone for the DNA. Once the bonds are created, recombinant DNA is created.

Not only is just the gene of interest added, but so is a gene that can physically prove that the process was done correctly. For example, the gene that codes for a green fluorescent glowing, pGlow, might be added so one can tell that the recombinant DNA was made successfully. Usually, a gene that resists antibacterial substances will also be added to it so it cannot be killed by a substance that usually kills bacteria, such as bleach for example.

Once the recombinant DNA is created, it must be placed in a host bacterium for it to be useful. This is done be placing both the recombinant DNA and the host bacteria inside of a test tube and placing it in a hot water bath. The heat from the bath opens the pores of the cell membrane in the bacteria, allowing the recombinant DNA to enter the bacteria easily. The timing of this must be perfect however, for if the test tube is left in the hot water bath for too long, then the bacteria will die. After the bacterium now has the recombinant DNA inside of it, it is placed inside of a petri dish with food and an antibacterial solution. The antibacterial solution will kill the bacteria that did not receive the recombinant DNA, but will not kill the bacterium that did because of its new antibacterial resistance. The food allows the new bacterium to grow until there is a large amount of bacterium with the new DNA.

Now all of this information and technology may be great and interesting, but how is it useful? Through the process of creating recombinant DNA to grow bacteria, we have been able to grow insulin in petri dishes for diabetics to use. Diabetes is a condition that makes the pancreas not create enough, or no insulin at all for our bodies to use. Without insulin, glucose from digested food, which is the body’s main source of fuel, is unable to transfer into the blood cells. Without this transfer, the body loses its energy when the glucose eventually leaves the body through urination.
 * __How is it used?__**

Luckily, this problem can be solved through the use of recombinant DNA technology. By taking a human insulin production gene out of a non-diabetic and combining it with a bacterial plasmid, we are able to literally grow insulin in a petri dish. Once it has grown to a large amount, a diabetic can take it and inject the grown insulin into their blood stream. By doing so, a diabetic’s body will have enough insulin to transfer the glucose from the blood into the blood cells and give their body energy. (Insulin)

Not only with diabetes is this used, but for other serious conditions, such as hemophilia. The process is exactly the same as for diabetes, but instead of growing insulin, a protein is grown that helps clot cuts to stop bleeding. By growing and injecting this grown protein, hemophiliacs do not have to worry about continuous bleeding because the new protein will clot the cut. This type of technology saves lives from several conditions every day through this process.

In terms of what we plan to do in the future, we are not that far off. One of DNA Creations Inc. © plans is to create plants that can grow in any climate around the world. Corn for example, is one of America’s most grown and most used products. It is used in the manufacturing of a huge variety of foods all across the country. Unfortunately, the land in which it may be grown is limited. If, however, we were able to extract the gene that creates an evaporation-reducing wax around a cactus and insert it into corn through recombinant DNA technology, we would have created a corn plant that can grow in extremely hot climates. On the other hand, what if corn could be grown in the coldest climates around the world? Research on this half of the project is still in the works of finding the right genes, but we get closer every day. Although plans are not finished, the perfect harvesting foods are much more a reality than you may think.
 * __Plans for the Future__**

“Cloning of Genetically Engineered Molecules.” //Mit.edu//. 17 January 2012. Web. <[]>.
 * __References__**

“Herbert Boyer.” //Accessexellence.org//. 17 January 2012. Web. <[]>.

“Herbert Boyer.” Available: <[]>.

“Insulin.” Available: <[]>.

“Making Recombinant DNA.” //Nih.gov. 16// January 2012. Web. <[]>.

“National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC).” //Nih.gov. 16// January 2012. Web. <[|http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/overview/#what]>.

“Recombinant DNA Diagram.” Available: <[|http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/botany/botany_map/articles/images/bm_09- 01.gif]>.

“Recombinant DNA: Example Using Insulin.” //Iptv.org. 16// January 2012. Web. <[]>.

“Restriction Enzymes.” Available: <[]>.

“Stanley Cohen.” Available: <[]>.

“The Basics of Recombinant DNA.” //Rpi.edu. 16// January 2012. Web. <[]>.

“What is Hemophilia?” //Nih.gov. 16// January 2012. Web. <[]>.