Biotech Industry Overview Flashcards
What is biotech?
The use of tech to improve living organisms and/or their processes to benefit man
What are the stages in the evolution of biotechnology?
- Classical Biotech
- Modern or Recombinant Biotech
What is classical biotech? Examples
Farming and ranching (ancient)
- plant and animal selective breeding
- fermentation
- antibiotics, herbal medicine, poisons
- vaccines and hormones
- agriculture: use of biopesticides
- sewage treatment and bioremediation (living organisms remove pollutants
What is modern or recombinant biotech?
Involves genetic engineering/recombinant DNA technology - often transfers genes from one genus to another and enables the creation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
- includes recombinant RNA (rRNA), cell fusion, and stem cells
- fermentation
- antibiotics
- vaccines and hormones
Clones genes can be:
- Overexpressed in E. Coli to:
- overproduces desired protein
- used in gene therapy or as DNA vaccines - Or transferred to another host organism for protein overexpression
What are the steps for bacteria to carry cloned copies of desired gene (steps to make recombinant plasmid)?
- Get bacteria (E. Coli) cell and human cell —> isolate plasmid DNA and human DNA
- Cut both DNAs with a restriction enzyme —> will have sticky ends on both plasmid and human DNA sequences
- Mix the two DNAs, allow them to join by their sticky ends
- Use DNA ligase to covalently link the DNA fragments —> this creates the recombinant plasmid
- Transfer plasmid into bacterium
- Grow the bacterium
- Bacteria carrying cloned copies of desired gene
How to we treat babies that can’t produce alpha-glucosidase?
- Place alpha-glucosidase transgene in rabbit oocyte —> embryo —> rabbit
- Obtain milk containing alpha-glucosidase from rabbit
- Purify alpha-glucosidase
- Infusion to baby
Central dogma of molecular biology
Bacterial cell: DNA —> mRNA —> protein
Eukaryotic cell: DNA —> pre-mRNA —> mRNA —> protein
Flow of genetic information in bacterial cell
DNA (gene) — transcription makes mRNA (template for peptide/protein) — mRNA goes to ribosome — translation to make polypeptide
Flow of genetic information for eukaryotic cell
In nucleus, DNA (gene) goes through transcription to make pre-mRNA — goes through RNA processing to make mRNA — mRNA strand goes to ribosome in cytoplasm — goes through translation and makes polypeptide
How is recombinant biotech classified?
- Based on organism used to make product (microbial, animal, plant biotech)
- based on use of product (forensic, agriculture, medical, industrial, environmental biotech)
Microbial biotech examples
- Fermentation: bread, cheese, yogurt, and alcohol
- antibiotic production
- vaccine
- agriculture use of biopesticides: control insect and microbial pests of plants
- sewage treatment and bioremediation
- enzymes used in food, beverage, and other industries
- pharmaceutically valuable recombinant proteins
Animal biotech definition and examples + what are concerns?
- definition: animal “pharming” transgenic animals for production of pharmaceutical proteins
- use animal models of human disease (ex: diabetic, obese mice) — ethically dubious
- producing human organs (in animals) for transplants = xenotransplantation
- genetically engineered healthier meat
- concerns: rejection of animal organ, transplanted cells may carry over viruses, religious considerations
Plant biotech definition + examples
- “Pharming”: production of recombinant proteins in plants (or animals) for pharmaceutical use
- production of recombinant proteins for nutritional uses
- crops with increased resistance to herbicides, insects, disease and harsh environments — downsides: weeds can acquire the gene and be resistant to herbicide
- value added traits: golden rice, reduced allergens, vaccines
