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biotechnology and genetic modification Flashcards

1
Q

biotechnology

A

using organisms, usually microorganisms, to produce required substances

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2
Q

genetic modification

A

changing the genetic material of an organisms by removing, changing or inserting individual genes

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3
Q

why are microorganisms used for genetic modification and biotechnology

A

-bacteria are very small and easy to grow in the lab. (dont take up alot of space)
-bacteria reproduce very quickly. able to make range of diff. chemical substances
-bacteria can make complex molecules are useful to humans
no ethical issues with fungi and bacteria
-bc of the plasmids, bacteria have, its easy to transport from one cell to another.

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4
Q

what is yeast

A

single-celled fungus

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5
Q

yeast anaerobically respiration

A

glucose –> ethanol + carbondioxide

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6
Q

making ethanol for biofuels

A

maize is treated w/ amylase enzymes into starch to glucose
sugarcane doesnt need to be treated bc stores carbs as sucrose.
yeast is then added and anaerobically respires using the glucose
the ethanol is extracted from the mixture by distillation
normally mixed in with gasoline to make biofuel bc it doesnt contains as much energy as fossil fuels.

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7
Q

biofuel

A

a fuel is made by mixing ethanol with petrol

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8
Q

what are the advantages with using ethanol as biofuel

A

ethanol is a sustainable resource (keep making more)
less co2 in the atmosphere

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9
Q

disadvantages with using ethanol as biofuel

A

-the crops take up land that could be used to grow food for people
-using large quatities of the crops for making biofuel increasing the price for people to buy
-the land on which the crops are growing might have had a biodiverse habitat.

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10
Q

what is bread made from

A

made from flour, which is made by grinding grains.
flour contains a lot of starch and also protein called gluten

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11
Q

making bread

A

flour mixed with water and yeast to make the dough
amylase enzymes break down some starch into maltose and glucose which the yeast can use for anaerobic respiration
it produces bubble of co2
these get trapped in the dough
the gluten makes the dough stretchy
so the co2 bubbles cause the dough to rise
anaerobic respiration also makes alcohol but this is broken down when the bread is baked, it also kill the yeast then.

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12
Q

pectinase

A

an enzyme that is used to digest pectin, increasing the quantity of juice that can be extracted from fruit, and clarifying the juice
fruit juices are extracted using pectinase
can help make juice clrea rather than cloudy.

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13
Q

how does pectinase make juices clear

A

the cloudiness in fruit juice is often caused by insoluble carbs that float in the juice
pectinase can be added, and break down insoluble substances into soluble substances which then makes the juice clear.

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14
Q

what do detergents do

A

help insoluble fats and oils mix with water, so they get washed away
in washing powders

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15
Q

what do biological washing powders contain

A

enzymes as well as detergents
these enzymes break down other kind of substances which can stain clothes.
protease- protein molecules to amino acids, removal of stains, e.g. blood stains (haemoglobin)
lipases - fats to fatty acids and glycerol. removal greasing stains

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16
Q

how do you prevent the digesting enzymes in biological washing powders from digesting fats and proteins in the skin of people

A

the enzymes are packed into microscopic capsules. the capsules break open when the washing powder is mixed with water.

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17
Q

lactase

A

an enzyme that breaks down lactose, the sugar in milk
lactose–> glucose + galactose

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18
Q

why is milk sometimes treated with lactase

A

for the lactose intolerant people
to break down the lactose so that people don’t have to make lactase themselves.
to produce sugars glucose and galactose these can be used for making sweets.

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19
Q

fermenter

A

a vessel, usually made of steel or glass, in which microorganisms can be grown in order to produce a required product

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20
Q

sterilised

A

treated- e.g. with steam- to destroy all living cells

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21
Q

culture

A

a population of microorgranisms growing in a nutrient liquid or agar jelly.

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22
Q

growing microorganisms in a fermenter steps

A
  • sterilisation
  • providing nutrients
  • providing air
  • mixing contents
  • adding microorganisms
  • measuring and maintaining temperature
  • measuring and maintaining pH
  • harvesting the product
  • purifying the product
23
Q

growing microorganisms in a fermenter steps (sterilisation)

A

before the fermenter is used it is thoroughly washed and sterilised.
using using steam, this kills all microorganisms so that they dont contaminate the culture

24
Q

growing microorganisms in a fermenter steps (providing nutrients)

A

water and nutrients that are needed for the microorganisms to grow are added.
glucose can be used for respiration of the microorganisms to provide energy.
amino acids or nitrate ions are added to provide a source of nitrogen so microorganisms can make proteins

25
growing microorganisms in a fermenter steps (providing air)
if the microorgansims respire anaerobically then air is bubbled into the fermenter.
26
why is there an outlet to turn waste gases in the fermenter
to make sure that the pressure inside the fermenter does not build up.
27
growing microorganisms in a fermenter steps (mixing the contents)
in most fermenters there are motor paddles that keep contents mixed. if fermenter is being used to grow fungus made up of long hyphae then the hyphae would get tangled in the paddles air bubbles can also mix the contents makes sure that the microorganisms in every part of the ferment are supplied with nutrients and oxygen
28
growing microorganisms in a fermenter steps (adding the microorgansims)
the microorganisms are added
29
growing microorganisms in a fermenter steps (measuring and maintaining temperature)
the temp. probe measures the conditions inside the fermenter. temp. must be kept at a specific temp for the enzymes in the microorganisms to work effectively. as they respire it can cause increase in temp.so then cold water is then passed around the ferments to drop the temp. if to cold temp. then hot water or steam can be passed around the fermenter
30
growing microorganisms in a fermenter steps (measuring and maintaining pH)
the ph of the fermenter contents is measured using a probe. pH must be kept at a specific pH for the enzymes in the microorganisms to work effectively. if mircroorganisms are producing co2 this lowers pH. the pH is adjusted by adding small quantities of acidic or alkaline liquids into the contents
31
growing microorganisms in a fermenter steps (harvesting the product)
after the microorganisms have had time to produce the required product it is harvested by allowing some of the contents to run out through an outlet tube or sometimes the whole fermenter is emptied at once.
32
growing microorganisms in a fermenter steps (purifying the product)
the contents of the fermenter also has other substances in it (not pure) which are not wanted the required product is then separated
33
which substances are now produced commercially using fermenter
insulin- made by genetically modified bacteria the antibiotic penicillin- produced by the fungus penicillium a food called mycoprotein- produced by fungus called fusarium
34
genetic modification
changing the genetic material of a cell or of a whole organisms . this can be done by removing genes, altering genes, or adding individual genes to cells. first carried out in 1970s
35
making human proteins
humans genes can be inserted into the bacteria the bacteria follow the instructions on the gene to make protein that is normally made in human cells.
36
example of making human proteins
- insulin is produced from GM bacteria - human insulin gene is inserted into the bacteria and grown at large scale. - the insulin produced is purified. - the insulin can be used for type 1 diabetes - before GM insulin, insulin extracted from the pancreas of dead animals e.g. pigs.
37
advantages of making insulin from bacteria
enables more insulin to be produced in a short period of time. ensures that the insulin is pure and of a consistent quantity
38
why making herbicide-resistant crop plants
herbicides are sprayed on crop plants to kill weeds but its no use if the herbicide also harms the crop plants
39
making herbicide-resistant crop plants
some crops have been GM to resistant to herbicides or insect pests
40
example making herbicide-resistant crop plants
soya plants have been GM so they are not harmed when a herbicide called glyphosate is sprayed onto them. so that only the weeds are killed when they spray the field.
41
making pest-resistant crop plants
crop plants have been GM so that they are not damaged by insect pests
42
example of making pest-resistant crop plants
cotton plants have been GM so they contain a substance called Bt, which is toxic to insects. (kills them) this reduced the used of pesticides
43
why are we making pest-resistant crop plants
pesticides are used to kill harmful insects to crops but its expensive and kill harmless insects so that they are not damaged by pests
44
improving nutritional qualities of crop plants
some crops have had genes inserted into them that cause them to make larger quantities of nutrients that humans need
45
examples of improving nutritional qualities of crop plants
lack of vitamin A in children. (most in where white rice is the main food) causes blindness and kill more than 1 mill people a year genes from maize and bacteria inserted into the rice and the rice uses these genes to produce a substance called carotene human body can turn carotene into vitamin A. called golden rice
46
advantages of genetically modified crops , herbicides
herbs- reduces no. of times that farmers need to spray herbicides onto their crops. this reduces the no. of harm on other plants growing next. increase yield, bc not killing the crop. less competition from weeds, crop plants can grow better. reduces labour costs, so it could mean cheaper food.
47
disadvantages of genetically modified crops, herbicides & pesticides
herbs- GM herbicides- resistance gene can spread onto the weeds (superweeds) that can no longer be killed by herbicides. pest- some people think Bt maize may harm their health, bc of the toxin that kills insects. however no tests suggest this. might harm other insects, studies dont show this tho (rarely). some are emerging to become resistant to the Bt toxin.
48
advantages of genetically modified crops, pesticides
benefit biodiversity because not all insects are killed.
49
disadvantages of GM crops
dont need them- vitamin A defficiency the real problem is money. seeds are more expensive to buy for farmers.
50
examples of uses for human proteins being produced by GM microorganisms
blood proteins that are essential for blood clotting are used to treat people with the inherited disease haemophilia human growth hormone is used to treat people who would otherwise not grow fully. interferon is used to treat some types of cancer.
51
restriction enzymes
enzymes that cut DNA at specific point, and leave a short length of unpaired bases at each end
52
sticky ends
lengths of unpaired bases on one strand of a DNA molecule; they are able to form bonds with complementary lengths of unpaired bases on a different DNA molecule
53
DNA ligase
an enzyme that joins 2 DNA molecules together
54
recombinant plasmids
a small circle of DNA found bacteria, which contains both the bacterial DNA and DNA from a different organism

biology (22 decks)

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