Industrial Micro Flashcards
(35 cards)
What are antibiotics?
Compounds that inhibit the growth of microorganisms without significant toxicity to the host.
Why are antibiotics selective?
They target structures or pathways unique to bacteria, like the cell wall or bacterial ribosomes.
What is the target of beta-lactam antibiotics?
The bacterial enzyme transpeptidase involved in peptidoglycan cross-linking.
What is the mechanism of resistance to beta-lactams?
Production of beta-lactamase enzymes that cleave the beta-lactam ring.
What is clavulanic acid?
A beta-lactamase inhibitor used with penicillin to overcome resistance.
How are most antibiotics produced industrially?
Via fed-batch fermentation, with production as secondary metabolites.
What are some major classes of antibiotics?
Beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, macrolides, glycopeptides.
What is a biologic in industrial microbiology?
A therapeutic product such as insulin or a vaccine produced by genetically engineered organisms.
How is human insulin produced industrially?
Using E. coli engineered to express the A and B chains of insulin.
What is the hepatitis B vaccine made from?
Yeast cells expressing the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg).
What is artemisinin and how is it produced industrially?
An anti-malarial drug originally from wormwood, now made using engineered yeast.
What is synthetic biology?
Engineering biological systems by assembling genes into new metabolic pathways.
Which organism is used to produce ethanol via fermentation?
Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Why is vitamin B12 industrially significant?
Humans cannot synthesize it, and it’s produced only by bacteria.
Which microorganisms are used to produce vitamin B12?
Pseudomonas, Nocardia, and Propionibacteria.
What is single cell protein (SCP)?
Microbial biomass used as food or feed protein source.
What organism is used to make Quorn?
Fusarium venenatum.
What is the ABE fermentation process?
A method using Clostridium acetobutylicum to produce acetone, butanol, and ethanol.
Which microorganism is used to produce glutamic acid (MSG)?
Corynebacterium glutamicum.
What are the key mechanisms of antibiotic resistance?
- Enzyme inactivation (e.g., β-lactamases)
- Target modification
- Reduced drug uptake or increased efflux.
What is the role of transpeptidase in bacteria?
It cross-links peptidoglycan strands, giving strength to the bacterial cell wall.
How does clavulanic acid work?
It inhibits β-lactamase enzymes, preserving β-lactam antibiotic activity.
Which bacteria produce most clinically useful natural antibiotics?
Streptomyces species.
What are β-lactams?
A class of antibiotics that inhibit cell wall biosynthesis (e.g., penicillins, cephalosporins).
