Plant Defence And Monoclonal Antobodies Flashcards
What are signs that a plant is diseased?
Stunted growth, spots on leaves, areas of rot or decay, growths, discolouration, malformed stems or leaves, pest infestation
How can plant disease be directly caused by insects?
Aphids suck sap from stems of plants, resulting in wilting, reduced rate of growth and discolouration
Ladybirds can be used to control aphid populations
What are physical plant defences?
Cellulose cell walls provide a barrier to infection
Tough waxy cuticle on leaves
Bark on trees which is a dead layer which can fall off
What are chemical plant barriers?
Many plants produce antibacterial chemicals
Poison production stops animals eating plants
What are mechanical adaptations of plants?
Thorns and hairs stop animals eating plants
Leaves droop or curl which dislodges insects
Mimic appearance of unhealthy or poisonous plants
How are monoclonal antibodies produced?
Mice are injected to stimulate production of lymphocytes that make specific antibodies
Tumour cells are cultured
Lymphocytes fused with tumour cells to create hybridoma cells
A large amount of the monoclonal antibody can be produced, collected and purified for use
What can lymphocytes do?
Make antibodies but cannot divide to form clones
What can tumour cells do?
Divide to form clones
What can hybridoma cells do?
Clone and produce antibodies
What treatment can monoclonal antibodies be used for?
Deliver toxic chemicals and drugs specifically to cancer cells, limiting their harm on other cells in the body
How can monoclonal antibodies be used in research?
Specific molecules can be located in cells and tissues by using monoclonal antibodies to bind them to a fluorescent dye
How do monoclonal antibodies target specific chemicals or cells?
Specific to a single binding site on a specific protein antigen
How can monoclonal antibodies be used in diagnostic testing?
Measure the levels of a particular chemical in the blood or to detect pathogens
How do pregnancy tests work?
Pregnant women produce the hormone HCG which is excreted in their urine
Urine is applied to the end of the stick
The test stick contains monoclonal antibodies which only bind HCG, attached to a dye
If HCG is present, monoclonal antibodies cause a line of dye to appear
A second line appears in the control zone to show the test is positive
Why are monoclonal antibodies not widely used?
They have more side effects than researchers expected
