How Are GMOs Made?
While there are many different ways that GMOs have been created throughout the years, the most common method now is to cut out the desired gene, called the trans-gene, and manually insert it into another organism to create a new, suitable organism.
This process is can be described in four different steps:
STAGE 1: Identify
First, scientists will go through extensive research to find a desired trait in crops. What trait they look for differs based on the type of GMO they wish to create.
For example, some desired traits could be the ability to resist various factors such as droughts, herbicides, and insects. One of the most popular kinds of GMOs are Bacillus thuringiensis crops (BT crops), which makes them produce the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which kills insects on its own.
When the desired trait is identified, they will then look for natural organisms that already exhibit the trait to extract the desired gene from.
STAGE 2: Extract
After the trait is identified, the next step is to copy and/or extract the gene from the natural organism found to another organism to create the GMO. Usually, this process is done through the help of restriction enzymes, also called restriction endonucleases, which recognize specific sequences in the DNA from the natural organism and cut only that specific part. These restriction enzymes work by scanning the DNA only for a specific sequence, and cutting that sequence out of it finds it. It can cut DNA in different ways, such as cutting both strands of a double-stranded DNA at the same position, or cutting the separate strands at different times. When these restriction enzymes cut double-stranded DNA at the same time, the result is called a blunt end. However, when the DNA is cut at different times, this causes overhangs, also called sticky ends, which are when the strands are different sizes. These cut-out DNA strands are then extracted to use in the next step.
STAGE 3: Insert
After the gene is extracted by the restriction enzymes, the strands are spliced onto the DNA of the other organism that the scientists wish to genetically modify. This is usually done through the use of a vector, when the trans-gene found from the natural organism is inserted into a vector. Before a trans-gene is inserted into a vector, the scientist makes sure that the virus’ genome cannot cause harm by removing it manually. Then, after there is little possibility for the gene to damage the host organism, they insert it into the vector. These vectors are able to get inside the cells of the target species and are inserted into the host cells. One prominent example is the process of turning a corn plant into a BT crop, where the Bt gene from another organism is spliced onto the DNA of the corn.
STAGE 4: Grow
Finally, after the strands of DNA are inserted, the organism is grown in the lab. From here, scientists manage and monitor the plants to ensure that they grow without complications. After they are grown, these new modified crops go through a variety of safety tests to certify that they are fit for human consumption.
Although the process of creating a GMO may seem like sorcery at times, it really is just a variety of scientific processes that have been tweaked over the years to be more efficient. A large part of why people are so hesitant about GMOs is because not much is known about them, so it’s important to really learn about the process of creating GMOs before making any decisions!