{"id":565,"date":"2016-11-04T03:34:06","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T03:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/microbiology\/?post_type=chapter&p=565"},"modified":"2016-11-09T22:51:21","modified_gmt":"2016-11-09T22:51:21","slug":"introduction-to-modern-applications-of-microbial-genetics","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-microbiology\/chapter\/introduction-to-modern-applications-of-microbial-genetics\/","title":{"raw":"Introduction to Modern Applications of Microbial Genetics","rendered":"Introduction to Modern Applications of Microbial Genetics"},"content":{"raw":"Watson and Crick<\/strong>\u2019s identification of the structure of DNA in 1953 was the seminal event in the field of genetic engineering. Since the 1970s, there has been a veritable explosion in scientists\u2019 ability to manipulate DNA in ways that have revolutionized the fields of biology, medicine, diagnostics, forensics, and industrial manufacturing. Many of the molecular tools discovered in recent decades have been produced using prokaryotic microbes. In this chapter, we will explore some of those tools, especially as they relate to applications in medicine and health care.\r\n\r\nAs an example, the thermal cycler<\/strong> in Figure 1\u00a0is used to perform a diagnostic technique called the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)<\/strong>, which relies on DNA polymerase enzymes from thermophilic bacteria. Other molecular tools, such as restriction enzymes and plasmids obtained from microorganisms, allow scientists to insert genes from humans or other organisms into microorganisms. The microorganisms are then grown on an industrial scale to synthesize products such as insulin<\/strong>, vaccines, and biodegradable polymers. These are just a few of the numerous applications of microbial genetics that we will explore in this chapter.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1300\"]\"A Figure 1. A thermal cycler (left) is used during a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR amplifies the number of copies of DNA and can assist in diagnosis of infections caused by microbes that are difficult to culture, such as Chlamydia trachomatis (right). C. trachomatis causes chlamydia, the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, and trachoma, the world\u2019s leading cause of preventable blindness. (credit right: modification of work by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n ","rendered":"

Watson and Crick<\/strong>\u2019s identification of the structure of DNA in 1953 was the seminal event in the field of genetic engineering. Since the 1970s, there has been a veritable explosion in scientists\u2019 ability to manipulate DNA in ways that have revolutionized the fields of biology, medicine, diagnostics, forensics, and industrial manufacturing. Many of the molecular tools discovered in recent decades have been produced using prokaryotic microbes. In this chapter, we will explore some of those tools, especially as they relate to applications in medicine and health care.<\/p>\n

As an example, the thermal cycler<\/strong> in Figure 1\u00a0is used to perform a diagnostic technique called the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)<\/strong>, which relies on DNA polymerase enzymes from thermophilic bacteria. Other molecular tools, such as restriction enzymes and plasmids obtained from microorganisms, allow scientists to insert genes from humans or other organisms into microorganisms. The microorganisms are then grown on an industrial scale to synthesize products such as insulin<\/strong>, vaccines, and biodegradable polymers. These are just a few of the numerous applications of microbial genetics that we will explore in this chapter.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Figure 1. A thermal cycler (left) is used during a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR amplifies the number of copies of DNA and can assist in diagnosis of infections caused by microbes that are difficult to culture, such as Chlamydia trachomatis (right). C. trachomatis causes chlamydia, the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, and trachoma, the world\u2019s leading cause of preventable blindness. (credit right: modification of work by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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