Biotechnology Principles and Processes (VSAQs)
Botany-2 | 11. Biotechnology Principles And Processes – VSAQs:
Welcome to “VSAQs” in “Chapter 11: Biotechnology Principles And Processes”. This page covers the most important VSAQs from previous exams. Use these concise answers to strengthen your understanding and get ready to do well in your final exams.
VSAQ-1: Define biotechnology.
Biotechnology: A Scientific Toolkit
Biotechnology is like a toolkit that scientists use to work with living organisms and their parts to create useful products and solve problems. Imagine it as a bridge connecting different scientific fields such as genetics, molecular biology, and microbiology.
Applications in Everyday Life
For example, in agriculture, biotechnology helps develop crops that can thrive in harsh conditions, such as drought-resistant plants. In medicine, it’s used to make vaccines and treatments for diseases, like insulin for diabetes. By harnessing these biological processes, biotechnology significantly improves our everyday lives through advancements in various fields.
VSAQ-2: What are molecular scissors? Where are they obtained from?
Molecular Scissors: The Precision Cutters
Molecular scissors, also known as restriction enzymes, are specialized tools that bacteria use to cut DNA. Think of them as precision cutters that snip DNA at specific spots, much like a pair of scissors cutting paper at a precise point.
Source and Importance
These enzymes are obtained from bacteria and play a crucial role in genetic engineering. They allow scientists to cut DNA at exact locations, which is essential for studying genes or inserting new ones. This ability is key in creating genetically modified organisms and other biotechnological applications, making molecular scissors indispensable in modern research.
VSAQ-3: Name any two artificially restricted plasmids.
Plasmids: Tiny DNA Carriers
In genetic engineering, plasmids are like tiny, circular DNA packages that carry genes into cells. Two commonly used artificially restricted plasmids are pBR322 and pUC19.
pBR322
Named after its creators, Bolivar and Rodriguez, pBR322 is a dependable tool in the lab. It helps scientists clone and study genes efficiently, serving as a reliable carrier for genetic material.
pUC19
This plasmid is named after the University of California, where it was developed. It’s another reliable tool, used to carry and multiply genes in research. Both plasmids are essential for genetic research and biotechnology, helping scientists manipulate and understand DNA.
VSAQ-4: What is EcoRI? How does it function?
EcoRI: The DNA Cutter
EcoRI is a restriction enzyme that acts like a precision tool for cutting DNA. Isolated from the bacterium Escherichia coli, EcoRI recognizes a specific DNA sequence, 5′-GAATTC-3′, and cuts it at a precise spot between the G and A.
Function and Importance
This cutting action creates sticky ends, which are like puzzle pieces that can easily fit together with other DNA fragments. This process is crucial for genetic engineering, as it allows scientists to recombine DNA in new ways, facilitating various applications such as gene cloning and genetic modification.
VSAQ-5: What are cloning vectors? Give an example.
Cloning Vectors: The Gene Delivery Trucks
Cloning vectors are specialized DNA vehicles used to carry foreign genes into host cells. Think of them as delivery trucks for genes, helping scientists insert and replicate DNA in new cells.
Examples of Cloning Vectors
An example of a cloning vector is a plasmid, which is a small, circular piece of DNA that carries the gene of interest. Other examples include bacteriophages like the λ phage, and artificial chromosomes such as BACs (Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes) and YACs (Yeast Artificial Chromosomes). These vectors are crucial for cloning, studying, and manipulating DNA in research and biotechnology.
VSAQ-6: What is recombinant DNA?
Introduction to Recombinant DNA
Recombinant DNA is like creating a new recipe by mixing ingredients from different dishes. In the world of genetics, it involves combining DNA from two different sources to create a new DNA molecule.
How It Works
Imagine you have a piece of DNA from a plant and another from a bacterium. Scientists can insert the plant DNA into bacterial DNA using special tools like enzymes to stitch them together. This new combination, or recombinant DNA, allows scientists to transfer specific genes between organisms.
Applications
For instance, recombinant DNA technology can be used to make crops resistant to pests or to produce medicines like insulin in bacteria. Essentially, recombinant DNA technology helps in crafting organisms with new traits and plays a crucial role in medicine, agriculture, and industry.
VSAQ-7: What is a palindromic sequence?
Definition of a Palindromic Sequence
A palindromic sequence in DNA is like a word that reads the same forwards and backwards. In the genetic code, this means that a sequence of base pairs on one DNA strand matches the same sequence in the opposite direction on the complementary strand.
Significance
Think of it as a symmetrical pattern that looks the same from both directions. This property is important because certain enzymes, called restriction enzymes, recognize and cut DNA at these palindromic sequences.
Example
For example, if you have the sequence 5′-GAATTC-3′ on one strand, the complementary sequence 3′-CTTAAG-5′ on the other strand forms a palindrome. This helps scientists cut and manipulate DNA precisely.
VSAQ-8: What is the full form of PCR? How is it useful in biotechnology?
Full Form and Basic Concept
PCR stands for Polymerase Chain Reaction. It’s a powerful tool used to make many copies of a specific segment of DNA quickly. Imagine you have a tiny amount of DNA, and you want to make more so you can study it in detail. PCR helps with that by copying the DNA over and over again, amplifying it into millions of copies.
Applications in Biotechnology
This process is crucial for DNA cloning, where it helps insert and reproduce DNA fragments. It’s also used in gene amplification, making it easier to work with tiny amounts of DNA for research or medical tests. Additionally, PCR is key in DNA fingerprinting, helping identify people by amplifying unique DNA patterns for forensics or paternity testing.
VSAQ-9: What is downstream processing?
Introduction to Downstream Processing
Downstream processing is like the final stages of making a product, where you clean and prepare it for sale. In biotechnology, after creating a substance like a protein or a drug in large quantities, the next step is to purify and isolate it from other materials.
Techniques Used
This process ensures that the product is pure and ready for use. Techniques used in downstream processing include filtration, which separates solids from liquids; centrifugation, which uses spinning to separate components; chromatography, which sorts substances based on their properties; and crystallization, which helps form pure solid compounds.
Importance
This careful process is crucial for producing high-quality, safe products for medical, industrial, and research purposes.
VSAQ-10: How does one visualize DNA on an agar gel?
Introduction to Gel Electrophoresis
Visualizing DNA on an agarose gel is a fundamental technique used in molecular biology to see and analyze DNA fragments. Think of it like sorting different colored beads by size on a special kind of gel.
Process of Visualization
First, DNA samples are loaded into wells in an agarose gel, and an electric current is passed through. This causes the DNA fragments to move through the gel, separating them based on their size—smaller fragments travel faster and farther than larger ones.
Staining the DNA
After separation, the gel is treated with a fluorescent dye, usually ethidium bromide. This dye binds to the DNA and is almost invisible on its own.
Observing Under UV Light
The gel is then placed under an ultraviolet (UV) light. Ethidium bromide glows under UV light, illuminating the DNA fragments as brightly colored bands. This allows scientists to see and analyze the DNA, providing insights into its size and quantity.
Applications
This method is essential for various applications, including DNA fingerprinting, genetic analysis, and gene cloning, helping researchers understand DNA patterns and structures that are otherwise invisible.
VSAQ-11: How can you differentiate between exonucleases and endonucleases?
Understanding Exonucleases
Exonucleases are enzymes that act like specialized scissors, cutting nucleotides from the ends of a DNA molecule. Imagine you’re trimming the edges of a paper—exonucleases trim the ends of the DNA, either from the 3′ end or the 5′ end.
Understanding Endonucleases
On the other hand, endonucleases are like more precise tools that cut the DNA at specific internal locations, not just at the ends. They act like a knife slicing through the middle of a paper.
Importance in Molecular Biology
Both types of enzymes are crucial for DNA repair and genetic engineering. Exonucleases help in removing unwanted nucleotides from the ends, while endonucleases are used to cut DNA at specific sites, which is useful for manipulating genes or studying DNA sequences.