modified. Cotton and corn have become resistant to herbicides and insects. Soy-
beans have herbicide resistance and lower saturated fat content. Having herbicidal-
resistant plants is important because many crop plants suffer stress when treated
with herbicides. Resistant crops are not stressed by the chemicals that are used
to control weeds.Recombinant DNA Technology and Society:
Too Much of a Good Thing
Genetically altering an organism raises scientific and philosophical questions.
Recombinant DNA technology has had a positive impact on society, although
there may be associated dangers with rDNA.
There have been concerns raised by the scientific community that genetically
engineered microorganisms carrying dangerous genes might be released into the
environment and cause widespread infection. Due to these worries, the federal
government has established guidelines to regulate and limit the locations and
types of experiments that are potentially dangerous.
Biomedical rDNA research has been regulated by the Recombinant DNA
Advisory Committee (RAC) of the Natural Institutes of Health. The Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) has principal responsibility in overseeing gene ther-
apy research. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state govern-
ments have jurisdiction over field experiments in agriculture.
One of the biggest efforts in biotechnology has been the human genome proj-
ect, which began in 1990 and formally ended in 2001. The goal of this project
has been to determine the sequences of all human chromosomes. Advances like
this in biotechnology will make genetic screening incredibly effective.
Physicians will one day be capable of detecting genetic flaws in DNA long
before the disease becomes manifested in a patient.
Another area of controversy is agriculture. Some scientists state that the re-
lease of recombinant organisms without risk assessment may disrupt the ecosys-
tem. Viral nucleic acids, inserted into plants to make them resistant to viruses,
might combine with the genome of an invading virus to make the virus even
stronger. Genetically modified food might even trigger an allergic response in
people or animals that consume them. As of this writing, obvious health or eco-
logical events have not been observed. However, due to the consensus of the
public, many food producers have stopped using genetically modified crops.(^136) CHAPTER 8 Recombinant DNA Technology