Question

SINCE ALL LIVING THINGS HAVE SIMILAR GENETIC CODE, IS IT POSSIBLE TO INJECT THE DNA OF A FIREFLY INTO HUMANS SO THEY COULD ALSO GLOW

Answer 1

No? Im just thinking that because it could be refused by your body's system and would have side effects unknown and undiscovered by scientists today. Like how they used to use pig insulin for humans who had diabetes, and that was rejected by people's immune system, thus causing bad side effects. (but now they have advanced with technology so have created insulin for humans using bacteria and the human insulin gene). So I would say that it is possible but it woudn't be good due to unknown side effects... and it would be a process that would happen over generations -not an immediate change

Answer 2

actually there is a way to inject DNA into cells and let it get adapted. This has already been done in mice as far as i know. I cannot find the name of the process now, as this is quite removed from my field of study. However it works by letting a current pass through a cell to charge it positively, then the dna you desire to implement is injected into the vicinity of that cell. since dna is charged negatively, it is then absorbed into the cell, and eventually implemented.
this way, indeed, the expression of certain traits can be transferred between species, and produce biomodification. however, as pointed out by naadirah, due to epigenetic effects and general fuzzyness of predictability when dealing with genes in complex species, the side effects would be hard to predict without careful testing.

one of the experiments where a similar approach has been used can be found on TED:

http://www.ted.com/talks/ed_boyden.html

Answer 3

Absolutely not. The firefly DNA would not be properly incorporated into the human genome in order for it to be expressed. For a gene to actually be expressed it must be activated by a promoter sequence which must be recognized by intracellular machinery present in human cells. There are also many other chemical signal cascades that trigger the expression of a gene in a particular cell that will be present in a firefly's cells but not in humans. Think about it this way: We have the same exact DNA in every cell of our body, but a cell in our brain does not express the same genes as a skin cell. If it did there would be no cell differentiation. So just because the DNA is there, doesn't mean it is going to function. There are many other elements to expressing a gene.

Answer 4

I agree with all three answers on individual but seperate levels, but I believe that such a far fetched questions deserves a response more fitting response. In theory yes, the DNA of a firefly could be incorporated into human DNA to produce a biochemical glow. The effects of this incorporation of foreign DNA are unknown and possible problematic. The alteration could be masked by other functions of the gene so it is not expressed. And Post embryonic introduction is even more of a hard sell. But all things considered, could it be done? Yes. If science can produce glowing fish, mice, pigs and even dogs, which they have (hint: just google "ruby puppy"), then they could surely develope an genetic insertion from fireflys that would allow humans to glow.

Answer 5

recombinant technology is used. now there are pigs and cats that can glow in the dark. scientist isolate the glowing gene from jelly fish and inserted to pigs and cats. i've seen the video before. its true!

Answer 6

Gentlemen/Ladies, i appreciate your contribution to such a formidable question...NAARDIRAH0210, what you say true about it being a gene that will be expressed over time....TOKVILLA, if there woud be some side effects, it would have been discoverd in those experimented on pigs, mice and dogs...it was a success and the scientists furthered the idea...afterall dogs are mammals with about 75 percent of their DNA being similar to ours. i see nothing wrong if you ask me..BESIDES ACCORDING TO JAHKU, THIS PROCESS I BELEIVE IS VERY POSSIBLE. MERE INJECTING A FORIEGN GENE INTO THE HOST'S CELL NUCLEUS THEN REMOVING THE NUCLEUS TO PLACE IT INTO A DE-NUCLEATED EGG CELL WHICH IS PLACED FINALLY IN A SERROGATE MOTHER. SHE WILL BIRTH THE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED LIVING SUBJECT WHO WILL ILLUMINATE THE COLOR WHEN EXPOSED TO UV RAYS ACCORDING TO THE COLOR IN THE FOREIGN GENE