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Biotechnology Fundamentals
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Biotechnology Fundamentals
Biotechnology Fundamentals
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1
Question
What is biotechnology?
Answer
The use of organisms, biological systems or processes to produce goods or provide services.
2
Question
Give examples of early biotechnology.
Answer
Production of cheese, wine, and bread through fermentation.
3
Question
What is recombinant DNA technology?
Answer
A technique in which a fragment of DNA containing a gene from a donor cell or organism is isolated and then inserted into the DNA of another cell or organism.
4
Question
What is genetic engineering?
Answer
Changing the genetic make-up of an organism by direct manipulation of DNA.
5
Question
What is a plasmid?
Answer
A small ring of extrachromosomal DNA found naturally in bacteria, used as a carrier to transfer a gene of interest into a host cell.
6
Question
What is recombinant DNA?
Answer
A DNA molecule formed by joining DNA fragments from different sources.
7
Question
What are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)?
Answer
Organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.
8
Question
What are plasmids?
Answer
Small DNA molecules within a cell that are typically not essential for the survival of the bacteria, but can help them to survive in special circumstances, e.g. genes for the resistance to antibiotics.
9
Question
Can plasmids replicate independently?
Answer
Yes, plasmids can replicate independently of the bacterial chromosome, so there can be many copies of a plasmid in a bacterial cell.
10
Question
What is recombinant DNA technology?
Answer
Recombinant DNA technology involves four major steps: obtaining a plasmid, obtaining a DNA fragment, cutting the DNA fragment and the plasmid with the same restriction enzyme, and joining the DNA fragment and the plasmid together using a DNA ligase.
11
Question
Where can DNA fragments containing the gene of interest be obtained from?
Answer
DNA fragments containing the gene of interest are obtained from donor cells. Donor cells can be any nucleated cells.
12
Question
What enzyme is used to cut DNA fragments and plasmids?
Answer
Restriction enzymes are used to cut DNA fragments and plasmids.
13
Question
What enzyme is used to join DNA fragments and plasmids together?
Answer
DNA ligase is used to join DNA fragments and plasmids together.
14
Question
What are recombinant plasmids?
Answer
Recombinant plasmids are formed when a DNA fragment containing the gene of interest is inserted into an open plasmid with the help of a DNA ligase.
15
Question
What are some purposes of introducing recombinant plasmids into host cells?
Answer
Producing GMOs that possess new characteristics, and producing proteins of other species, e.g. producing human insulin by bacteria.
16
Question
What is the function of restriction enzymes in bacteria?
Answer
Restriction enzymes are part of the natural defence mechanisms of bacteria against viruses. They cut the viral DNA into pieces.
17
Question
What is the function of enzymes in bacteria regarding viruses?
Answer
Enzymes that defend bacteria by cutting the DNA of viruses.
18
Question
Why do people with type 1 diabetes need insulin injections?
Answer
People with insulin-dependent diabetes (type 1) cannot produce enough insulin, requiring regular injections to control blood glucose levels.
19
Question
What are some problems associated with using insulin extracted from cattle or sheep?
Answer
Extraction was time-consuming and expensive, yielded small amounts, insulin from animals had slight differences from human insulin and could be rejected by the immune system, and there was a risk of pathogen transmission.
20
Question
How is human insulin produced using recombinant DNA technology?
Answer
DNA encoding human insulin is introduced into bacteria, which are cultured in large steel tanks (fermenters). The produced polypeptides are extracted and processed into functional human insulin.
21
Question
What are the advantages of producing insulin using recombinant DNA technology?
Answer
Shorter production time, lower extraction cost, higher product yield, structurally identical to human insulin (no immune rejection), pure insulin with lower infection risk.
22
Question
Give some examples of pharmaceutical products produced using recombinant DNA technology and their uses.
Answer
Human growth hormone (treatment for growth hormone deficiency), Hepatitis B vaccine (prevention of hepatitis), Human blood clotting factor VIII (treatment for hemophilia), Human interferons (treatment for cancer).
23
Question
What is gene therapy?
Answer
A potential cure for diseases caused by a defective gene, such as sickle-cell anaemia.
24
Question
How does gene therapy supplement a defective gene?
Answer
A normal gene is inserted into a vector using recombinant DNA technology. The vector carries the normal gene into a patient's cells.
25
Question
What is the concept behind edible plant vaccines?
Answer
GM plants produce antigenic proteins of pathogens in their edible parts, serving as edible vaccines.
26
Question
What are the benefits of using recombinant DNA technology in agriculture and food production?
Answer
Increasing productivity of crops and animals, improving nutritional value of foods.
27
Question
What is GM food?
Answer
A food that is, or is derived from, a GMO.
28
Question
How are crops and farm animals with desirable characteristics traditionally obtained?
Answer
Selecting plants or animals with desirable characteristics to breed for many generations.
29
Question
What happens to the alleles for undesirable characteristics during selective breeding?
Answer
The alleles for the undesirable characteristic may be eliminated in a population eventually.
30
Question
What is Golden Rice?
Answer
Golden Rice is a GM rice of which the grains are rich in β-carotene.