Biotechnology and its Applications

Question 1

3 critical research areas of biotechnology

Answer 1

1. Providing the best catalyst
2. Creating optimal conditions for catalyst to act
3. Downstream processing technologies to purify organic compound

Question 2

Options for increasing food production

Answer 2

1. Agro-chemical based
2. Organic
3. Genetic engineering

Question 3

Green revolution succeeded in ________ the food production

Answer 3

Tripling

Question 4

Genetically modified crop buffs

Answer 4

1. Tolerance to abiotic stresses
2. Reduced reliance on pesticides
3. Reducing post harvest losses
4. Increased efficiency of mineral usage
5. Enhanced nutritional value

Question 5

Golden rice is

Answer 5

Vitamin - A enriched rice

Question 6

GMs have been used to produce alternative resources such as

Answer 6

Starches, fuels, pharmaceuticals

Question 7

The bt gene has been applied successfully to

Answer 7

Cotton, corn, rice, tomato, potato, soyabean

Question 8

Bt toxin protein exists as

Answer 8

Inactive protoxin

Question 9

Inactive bt toxin is converted to active toxin by

Answer 9

Alkaline pH of insect gut which dissolves the crystals

Question 10

Activated bt toxin binds to

Answer 10

Surface of midgut epithelial cells and creates pores, which causes swelling and lysis and eventual death of the insect

Question 11

Bt toxin is coded by gene

Answer 11

cry1Ac named cry

Question 12

Cotton bollworm control genes

Answer 12

cry1Ac and cry2Ab

Question 13

Corn borer control genes

Answer 13

cry1Ab

Question 14

Nematode which infects roots of tobacco plant

Answer 14

Meloidegyne incognita

Question 15

Strategy adopted to prevent infestation of Meloidegyne incognita in tobacco plants

Answer 15

RNA interference (RNAi)

Question 16

RNAi takes place in

Answer 16

All eukaryotic organisms as a method of cellular defence

Question 17

In RNAi, silencing of a specific mRNA occurs due to

Answer 17

Complementary dsRNA that binds to and prevents translation of mRNA molecule (silencing)

Question 18

Transposons are

Answer 18

Mobile genetic elements that replicate via an RNA intermediate

Question 19

Source of complimentary RNA in RNAi could be

Answer 19

From infection by viruses having RNA genome or from transposons

Question 20

Worldwide, ______ recombinant drugs have been approved for human use

Answer 20

30

Question 21

In India, _______ recombinant drugs are being marketed

Answer 21

12

Question 22

Insulin was earlier extracted from

Answer 22

Pancreas of slaughtered cattle and pigs

Question 23

Insulin consists of

Answer 23

2 short polypeptide chains - chain A and chain B

Question 24

Chain A and chain B are linked together by

Answer 24

Disulphide bridges

Question 25

Who 1st prepared human insulin

Answer 25

American company Eli Lilly in 1983 from plasmid of E-coli

Question 26

1st clinical gene therapy was given to

Answer 26

4 year old girl in 1990 with adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency

Question 27

ADA is caused due to

Answer 27

Deletion of gene for adenosine deaminase

Question 28

In ADA gene therapy, _________ are grown in a culture outside the body

Answer 28

Lymphocytes

Question 29

A functional _______________ is then introduced into these lymphocytes using a ________________

Answer 29

ADA cDNA, retroviral vector

Question 30

Techniques that serve the purpose of early diagnosis

Answer 30

rDNA technology, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Enzyme Linked Immuno-sorbent Assay (ELISA)

Question 31

PCR is used to detect HIV in AIDS patients - true/false

Answer 31

True

Question 32

Over 95% of all transgenic animals are

Answer 32

Mice

Question 33

Transgenic animals produced are

Answer 33

Rats, rabbits, pig, sheep, cows, fish

Question 34

Transgenic models exist for human diseases such as

Answer 34

Cancer, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease

Question 35

Protein used to treat emphysema

Answer 35

Human protein - alpha - 1 - antitrypsin

Question 36

1st transgenic cow

Answer 36

Rosie - Human protein enriched milk (2.4 g/L)

Question 37

Rosie’s milk had

Answer 37

Human alpha-lactalbumin - nutritionally more balanced for human babies

Question 38

GM research is regulated by

Answer 38

Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC)

Question 39

Number of rice varieties in India

Answer 39

200,000

Question 40

Number of varieties of Basmati rice in India

Answer 40

27

Question 41

Company that got patent rights for Basmati rice

Answer 41

American company through the US Patents and Trademark Office

Question 42

Biopiracy

Answer 42

Use of bio-resources by multinational companies without proper authorization and without compensatory payment

Question 43

Indian Parliament has recently cleared the

Answer 43

2nd amendment of the Indian Patents Bill (R&D initiative)