When editing DNA, how does an organism know to replicate the edited DNA vs. the non-edited DNA?
In: Biology
You insert the gene of the thing you want to make close to genes the organism makes a lot of anyways. This way it just gets carried along with the ride. For example say you want to make insulin. Stick the insulin gene right after the lactase gene in E. coli and stick the bacteria in a high lactose environment. It will make insulin along with lactase.
Every gene is under some sort of control, which is done by a sequence usually preceding the gene in question. That’s where all sorts of stuff, proteins in particular, can bind and activate the gene. So, if you edit an existing gene, it still has its old control sequences. If you insert a new gene, you have to add control sequences for it. What you use for that strongly depends on the application.
It really doesn’t – that’s why all the talk is about genetically modifiying embryos and not fully grown people – there’s just too many non-modifed cells for the new ones to become a majority over time.
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