What is a transgenic organism?

What is a transgenic organism?

• A. Organisms that contain functional recombinant DNA from a different organism
• B. Organisms with no genetic modification
• C. Organisms produced by natural selection
• D. Organisms with only point mutations

Answer: (A)

Transgenic organisms are defined by carrying functional recombinant DNA that originated in a different species, inserted into their genome so it can be expressed. This means a gene from one organism is combined with regulatory elements and integrated into the host, producing a new trait that the host can pass on to offspring. The key idea is the introduction of foreign DNA and its functional expression in the recipient organism. That’s why this choice best fits: it describes an organism that contains recombinant DNA from another organism that is capable of functioning in the host. In contrast, an organism with no genetic modification isn’t altered, natural selection-produced organisms aren’t engineered, and organisms with only point mutations involve changes within the same genome without introducing foreign DNA.

Transgenic organisms are defined by carrying functional recombinant DNA that originated in a different species, inserted into their genome so it can be expressed. This means a gene from one organism is combined with regulatory elements and integrated into the host, producing a new trait that the host can pass on to offspring. The key idea is the introduction of foreign DNA and its functional expression in the recipient organism.

That’s why this choice best fits: it describes an organism that contains recombinant DNA from another organism that is capable of functioning in the host. In contrast, an organism with no genetic modification isn’t altered, natural selection-produced organisms aren’t engineered, and organisms with only point mutations involve changes within the same genome without introducing foreign DNA.