1. Maize
- it is damaged by the larvae of the european cork borer. This causes 20% loss of crop yield.
2. In a bacterium that we will call Bt, there is a chromosome and on that chromosome there is a gene.
- when the gene is switched on it produces Bt toxin and this is known to kill the cork borer larvae.
- what can we do to get this toxin into maize to protect it from the european cork borer?
3. Take restriction enzymes to the gene of the Bt and chop the gene out
- so we only get the Bt gene for the toxin.
4. This is transferred to the cells of the maize plant.
- This is not easy and the technique used currently, involves a 'gene gun'.
- It involves taking tiny particles of gold, that is coated in the Bt gene, and firing it at a high velocity at the plant cell
- introduces the Bt gene to the interior of the plant cell. The Maize cell gets the gene and once switched on, it can switch on the Bt toxin --> killing the larve
- This gives the Maize resistance to damage caused by the cork borer.
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