Chapter Summary
Biotechnology: Principles and Processes deals with the concepts, tools, and techniques of manipulating living organisms at the molecular level for human benefit. It covers concepts like genetic engineering, recombinant DNA technology, cloning vectors, restriction enzymes, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), host organisms, and bioreactors used in large-scale production of useful products like insulin, antibiotics, and enzymes.
50 Questions and Answers
Biotechnology is the use of living organisms, cells, or biological systems to develop useful products for human welfare.
Genetic engineering and maintenance of sterile conditions for large-scale culture of living cells/tissues.
The term recombinant DNA was coined by Paul Berg in 1972.
Restriction enzymes are molecular scissors that cut DNA at specific recognition sites.
EcoRI is a commonly used restriction endonuclease in biotechnology experiments.
Ligase enzyme joins DNA fragments together by forming phosphodiester bonds.
A cloning vector is a DNA molecule that carries foreign DNA into a host cell for replication and expression.
Plasmids, bacteriophages, and cosmids are commonly used cloning vectors.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a technique used to amplify specific DNA sequences.
Taq polymerase, a thermostable DNA polymerase, is used in PCR.
Competent cells are bacterial cells treated to take up foreign DNA efficiently.
Gel electrophoresis is a technique used to separate DNA fragments based on their size using an electric field.
A genomic library is a collection of DNA fragments representing the entire genome of an organism cloned into vectors.
cDNA (complementary DNA) is synthesized from mRNA using reverse transcriptase enzyme.
Selectable markers are genes in a vector that help identify cells that have taken up recombinant DNA.
Antibiotic resistance genes such as ampicillin resistance are used as selectable markers.
A bioreactor is a large vessel that provides optimal conditions for large-scale growth of organisms and production of products.
Stirred tank bioreactors and airlift bioreactors.
Downstream processing involves purification and recovery of biotechnological products after fermentation.
Genetic engineering is the direct manipulation of an organism's DNA to alter its characteristics.
Recombinant protein is a protein produced by genetically modified organisms using recombinant DNA technology.
Ori is the sequence where DNA replication begins, allowing the vector to replicate inside the host cell.
Agrobacterium tumefaciens is used as a natural genetic engineer to introduce foreign DNA into plants.
Blue-white screening is a method to differentiate recombinant and non-recombinant colonies using lacZ gene.
Expression vectors are vectors that ensure transcription and translation of the inserted gene to produce protein.
Host organisms provide the cellular machinery for replication and expression of foreign genes.
Transformation is the process of introducing foreign DNA into a host cell.
Shuttle vectors are cloning vectors that can replicate in two different host species.
Electroporation is a method of introducing DNA into cells by applying an electrical field.
Microinjection is a technique in which DNA is directly injected into the nucleus of animal cells using a fine needle.
Recombinant DNA technology is the technique of joining DNA molecules from two different species and inserting them into a host.
Southern blotting is used to detect specific DNA sequences in a sample.
Northern blotting is used to detect specific RNA sequences in a sample.
Western blotting is used to detect specific proteins in a sample.
Reporter genes are used to study gene expression and regulation by producing measurable signals.
Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is a commonly used reporter gene.
A transgenic organism is an organism that carries a foreign gene introduced using biotechnology.
DNA ligase is an enzyme that joins DNA fragments by forming covalent bonds between nucleotides.
A palindromic sequence is a DNA sequence that reads the same in both directions.
Sticky ends are single-stranded overhangs produced by restriction enzymes, useful for DNA ligation.
Blunt ends are straight DNA cuts with no overhangs produced by some restriction enzymes.
Selectable markers in plasmids are genes that help select transformed cells, usually antibiotic resistance genes.
Ori allows independent replication of plasmid DNA within the host cell.
Competency is the ability of a cell to take up foreign DNA.
Kary Mullis won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1993) for inventing PCR.
PCR is used for early detection of genetic disorders, infectious diseases, and forensic investigations.
DNA fingerprinting is a technique to identify individuals based on unique DNA profiles.
DNA fingerprinting was developed by Alec Jeffreys in 1985.
Downstream processing includes purification, formulation, and packaging of biotechnological products.
Bioreactors provide optimum growth conditions and facilitate large-scale production of products like proteins, enzymes, and vaccines.