6 - exploiting bacteria

Question 1

what is bioremediation?

Answer 1

a process that uses mainly microorganisms to detoxify contaminants in the soil and other environments

activated sludge in water treatment plants contain bacteria that metabolise organic matter to CO2

Question 2

what is sludge made up of?

Answer 2

slime producing bacteria

sludge is mixed with waste water, carbon is absorbed on the particles and they sink to the bottom

Question 3

plastic degrading bacteria

Answer 3

Ideonella sakaiensis was discovered in plastic waste in Japan

expresses PETase enzyme that degrades PET-based plastic

Question 4

biotechnology

Answer 4

bacteria as cell factories - produce medically or commercially useful biomolecules

cells do all the hard work

Question 5

cloning and expressing a mammalian gene in bacteria

Answer 5

using recombinant DNA technologies, non-bacterial or mutant proteins can be made in large quantities by bacterial fermentation

1) linearise plasmid vector
2) ligate gene into plasmid
3) tranform E.coli expression cells with the plasmid
4) E.coli multiply in fermenter - divide by binary fission
5) protein expression is induces
6) cells are lysed and protein in purified
7) purified protein is now ready for research, medical or commercial use

Question 6

examples of recombinant therapeutics

Answer 6

• blood proteins
• immune modulators
• replacement enzymes
• human hormones
• therapeutic enzymes
• industrial enzymes

Question 7

what is synthetic biology?

Answer 7

the design and construction of new biological parts, devices and systems, and the re-design of existing, natural biological systems for useful purposes