Cloning & Biotechnology Flashcards
What’s a culture?
A substance that provides the nutrients for the artificial growth of bacteria and other cells
What is agar?
A jelly made from algae that is used to culture microorganisms
How do bacteria multiply?
Binary fission
What’s a cross-linking agent used for?
To promote covalent bonding between the enzyme and insoluble substrate
What process are extracted enzymes favoured in?
Continuous processes
Why is ethanol described as a primary metabolite?
It’s produced in all yeast growth phases/ all the time
What is meant by a primary metabolite?
A molecule needed for a cells normal survival/ growth
e.g., glucose, ethanol
Produced in all growth phases
What’s vegetative propagation?
The production of plant clones from non-reproductive tissue e.g., roots
What’s grafting in horticulture?
Joining the shoot of one plant to the growing stem & root of another
What’s micropropagation?
When tissue culture is used to produce lots of cloned plants very quickly
What’s a callus?
A mass of undifferentiated cells
What’s the difference between agriculture and horticulture?
Agriculture relates to farming and horticulture involves cultivation of plant for any purpose but on a smaller scale e.g., gardening
What’s biotechnology?
The industrial use of living organisms to produce food, drugs and other products
What yeast is used to make beer?
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
How is beer made?
The yeast respires anaerobically to produce ethanol and CO2 via fermentation (ethanol is used in alcohol)
How is bread made?
The CO2 from the yeast’s respiration causes bread to rise
What bacteria is used to make cheese and yoghurt?
Lactobacillus or Streptococcus
How is cheese made?
Chymosin enzyme clots milk
Lactic acid bacteria converts lactose –> lactic acid which makes milk sour and solidifies it
How is yoghurt made?
Lactic acid clots milk and causes it to thicken
Flavours and colouring then added
What’s the fungus in penicillin?
Penicillium
How is penicillin made?
The fungus is grown under stress in industrial fermenters
Penicillin is collected and processed for medicine
How’s insulin made?
Insulin gene is extracted using a restriction enzyme, part of bacteria removed (plasmid) using same restriction enzyme
Gene inserted into plasmid which is then put back into bacteria
What’s bioremediation?
Using microorganisms to remove pollutants by breaking them down into less harmful products to clean up the area
What’s single-celled microorganisms e.g., Quorn grown from?
Waste products
What’s a culture (of microorganisms)?
A population of one type of microorganism thats been grown under controlled conditions
What’s a closed culture?
Growth takes place in a vessel that’s isolated from the external environment (extra nutrients aren’t added & waste products not removed)
How do you estimate number of cells in a culture?
N = N0 x 2^n
What are immobilised enzymes?
Enzymes attached to an insoluble material so they can’t be mixed with the products
Why are immobilised enzymes more stable than free enzymes?
Less likely to denature in high temperatures and PH
