Some of you may
recall the book/movie Jurassic Park, where biotechnologists cloned dinosaurs
from DNA samples extracted from ancient mosquitoes preserved in amber. In order
to prevent their products from endangering the outside world, they incorporated
a mutation that made them highly dependent on the lysine supplements provided
by the park staff. Since lysine is a naturally occurring amino acid, this
strategy was not very effective when they did escape (this was not in the
movie, but someone who read the book told me about this part of the story).
Back to the real world, the most legitimate concern of genetic engineering is
not knowing what happens when GMO products escape into the natural environment.
This concern is much more justified when dealing with microorganisms because
they are harder to track. This problem is being addressed with a new bacteria
that was designed to rely on an amino acid that does not occur in nature. This
development will no doubt make it easier to use bacteria designed to break down
the hydrocarbons from oil spills or other hazardous wastes in an unconfined
area.
