Ann's Post re Biotech, Gene Expression

Charles Benbrook (benbrook@hillnet.com)
Wed, 03 Feb 1999 11:20:27 -0800

Ann -- Excellent and thoughtful post, thanks. It triggered a
thought. In nature two things must happen which are actually very
independent. First, the gene must find its way into a new organism, but
second so too must a set of regulatory genes governing the expression of
whatever novel trait has found a way to move into a new organism. The vast
majority of genes that move around in nature never become a stable part of
the new organism's genome because there is no accompanying "regulatory
infrastructure" governing gene expression. Genetic traits are like millions
of pieces of millions of puzzles. Pieces can and do wind up in the
strangest of places but there are consequences only when regulatory
mechanisms some how also move or co-evolve.

This of course then is the basis for a major difference between
natural gene flow and biotech, since with biotech scientists move both genes
and their regulatory mechanisms together, a phenomenon which must be
extraordinarily rare in nature.

chuck

Charles Benbrook 208-263-5236 (voice)
Benbrook Consulting Services 208-263-7342 (fax)
5085 Upper Pack River Road benbrook@hillnet.com [e-mail]
Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 http://www.pmac.net

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