Terminator Gene

A gene that makes reproduction impossible. The first terminator gene was developed by the US Department of Agriculture and major genetic engineering firms for the purpose of "protecting intellectual property". Plants with a terminator gene inserted using method such as gene recombination with simultaneous changes to the base of phospholipase D, a phospholipid-degrading enzyme, cannot germinate after the second generation. In other words, a person can buy seeds and cultivate a crop, but they cannot gather seeds from that crop and they must purchase the seeds once more if they want to grow the same crop again. In this way, the creator of the intellectual property for the genetically-engineered plant would be able to obtain appropriate remuneration.

Technological development of this gene was put on hold due to criticisms raised regarding the possibility that should the gene find its way into the natural world, numerous plants would be rendered extinct. However, the concept was applied in the Les Enfants Terribles Project. When Dr. Clark created the Big Boss clones, she embedded terminator genes into their chromosomes so that, if by some chance they sided with a foreign country, their abilities would not be replicated. Due to this fact, the clones are unable to give birth to children by means of natural reproduction.