Mod 6 - IQ2 Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is biotechnology?
Biotechnology is the use of biological processes (in plants, animals and microbes) to make products that are beneficial to humans.
e.g. Farming, Fermentation, Antibiotics, Genetic Engineering
What are the past uses of biotechnology?
- Artificial Selection - Aquaculture and Australian Aborigines - Fermentation
What was the past use of biotechnology in Artificial Selection/Selective Breeding?
- Humans domesticated animals and began planting crops.
- Humans chose organisms with the desired characteristics that were bred each generation to produce the best possible offspring.
e.g. Manipulation of dogs from wolves
How did Indigenous Australians use aquaculture as a biotechnology?
Ancient Australian individuals practiced aquaculture with their building of fishing weirs on rivers and using fish traps to farm eels.
- They would build walls at the sea edge to create tidal pools which trapped fish.
This made fish easier to catch and provide a larger more reliable supply of food.
How was fermentation applied as a past use of biotechnology to manufacture yoghurt?
- The Chinese made yoghurt by 4000BC using lactic acid producing bacteria called Lactobacillus.
- By boiling the milk and allowing it to cool, then inoculating the yoghurt with the bacteria, fermentation occurs to produce yoghurt.
What are the current uses of biotechnology?
- Antibiotics
- Artificial Insemination
- Genetically Modified Organisms / Transgenic Species - Cloning
- Gene Therapy
How are antibiotics used as a present biotechnology?
Antibiotics are a medicine (e.g. Penicillin) that inhibits the growth of or destroys micro-organisms.
- This has no effect on viral infections and only works properly on bacteria.
These antibiotics are produced by micro-organisms.
How is artificial insemination used as a present biotechnology? What are the Pros and Cons?
Artificial insemination involves taking sperm from a male and artificially inserting it into one of several females to produce desirable characteristics.
Pros - Makes breeding easy and cost effective - Allows for genetic preservation - More resources (e.g. Milk and Meat) - Higher profits - Makes remote mating possible via transportation of desirable sperm.
Cons - Disturbs species and their natural habitat - Isn’t effective on all species - Ethically not seen as a natural process - Inbreeding leads to diseases - Decreases genetic variation as only certain traits are selected, increasing the likelihood of extinction.
How are genetically modified organisms (Transgenic Organisms) used as a present day biotechnology?
Genetically modified organisms are organisms that have had another species genome transferred into its own through genetic engineering.
This has been applied to crops such as Bt cotton and Golden Rice.
What is recombinant DNA?
Recombinant DNA is defined as DNA which results from moving a section of DNA from its normal location and inserting it into DNA at another site.
This can be within the DNA of the same organism or in a different organism.
Why are transgenic species beneficial?
- To increase the quality of products - Treating disease by producing new drugs
- For pest and disease resistance
- For genetic research - For organ donation
What is an example of a transgenic species?
Bt Cotton has been genetically engineered to produce a natural insecticide that comes from a common soil bacterium (Baccilus Thuringiensis).
By using this cotton, insects are killed naturally and farmers spend much less on pesticides, this protects the environment as well. - The toxin made using the Bt gene is environmentally friendly because it only kills Heliothis (Caterpillar).
How is cloning used as a present biotechnology?
Cloning is the process of producing genetically identical individuals of an organism either naturally or artificially.
- Within biotechnology cloning refers to producing copies of cells or DNA fragments to create clones of organisms.
What are future biotechnologies?
- Gene Therapy
- Gene Editing
How is gene therapy used as a future biotechnology?
Gene therapy is a medical treatment where a healthy copy of a gene is inserted into a non-germline tissue in a developed organism.
It can be transported directly into a cell via an adeno associated vector. - This has the potential to replace conventional medical treatments for diseases and disorders.
What were the social implications of past biotechnologies in selective breeding, aquaculture and fermentation?
These biotechnologies lead to new food sources. - promoting a shift away from the hunter gatherer lifestyle.
What were the social implications of medicine as a classical biotechnology?
The introduction of penicillin as an ancient biotechnology led to an increase in the quality of life.
This extended life expectancy.
How is biotechnology impacting the Earth’s Biodiversity? (Short Term and Long Term)
Short Term - Introduced genes will increase variation in a gene pool.
Long Term - Desirable genes replace other varieties, leading to a decrease in genetic variation - This is achieved via artificial selection - Herbicide resistance crops also decrease biodiversity as native plants and animals die - Engineered organisms often dominate resulting in diversity reduction.
What is Recombinant DNA? How is this useful for Insulin Production?
Recombinant DNA occurs when DNA is taken from its normal location and inserted into a new location within the same species/organism.
This is useful for insulin production, as the human insulin production (INS) gene into an E.Coli bacteria using the ECOR1 restriction enzyme makes a colony that produces human insulin which can be harvested for usage within diabetics.
How is recombinant DNA formed?
- Genetic Material is Isolated
- The Specific desired DNA molecule is selected
- This DNA is amplified using PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) to make multiple copies of a DNA sequence 4. Restriction enzymes cut DNA at specific locations, and cut out certain sequences of bases, this cut out DNA is added to complementary DNA resulting in new DNA formation
- Ligation of DNA molecules occur, as new hydrogen bonds are formed between DNA molecules
- This DNA is then introduced into a host cell in the process of transformation, achieved in bacteria via thermal shock
- The process results in a mix of transformed and not transformed cells within a population
- DNA markers allow the separation of a population to filter desirable characteristics
- Bacteria has a new gene now, so it will produce proteins.
