9 - Understanding genes and genomes

Summary

In Part II we have examined some of the basic techniques of gene manipulation. These techniques, and many more sophisticated variations of them, give the scientist the tools that enable genes to be isolated and characterised. In this final section of the book we will consider some of the applications of gene manipulation. Of necessity, this will be a highly selective treatment, the aim being to give some idea of the immense scope of the subject whilst trying to include some detail in certain key areas. We will also look more broadly at some of the ethical problems that gene manipulation poses, and at the topic of organismal cloning.

In many ways genetic engineering has undergone a shift in emphasis over the past few years, a way from the technical problems that had to be solved before the technology became ‘user friendly’ enough for widespread use. Gene manipulation is now used as a tool to address many diverse biological problems that were previously intractable, and the applications of the subject appear at times to be limited only by the imagination of the scientists who use the technology in basic research, medicine, biotechnology and other related disciplines.

Analysis of gene structure and function

In terms of ‘pure’ science, the major impact of gene manipulation has been in the study of gene structure and expression. The organisation of genes within genomes is a fast-developing area that is essentially an extension of the early work on gene structure.