CMB1003/L06 Functional Genomics Flashcards
How are microbes used in waste water treatment? (2)
Activated sludge in water
Microbes metabolise organic matter to CO2
How are bacteria used in composting?
Microbes metabolise some wastes
What is bioremediation?
Process that uses mainly microorganisms, plants, or microbial and plant enzymes to detoxify contaminants in the soil and other environments
What are bacterial ‘cell factories’?
Living organisms that produce medically or commercially useful biomolecules
Give an advantage to cell factories.
Cultures grow quickly and easily
Input often cheap and environmentally friendly
What is vitamin B12 used for?
DNA synthesis
Metabolism
How is an expression system created? (6)
Use recombinant DNA
Clone gene of interest
Transform into E. coli
Grow by large scale fermentation
Expression induced
Cells lysed and purified
What is synthetic biology?
Design and construction of new biological parts, devices and systems and the re-design of existing, natural biological systems for useful purposes
Give 3 features of biological components.
Modular and well-characterised
Can be put together in any order
Allows complex designs with predictable outputs
Components represented by symbols
Describe optogenetics.
Different wavelengths of light trigger the production of different coloured compounds
Control of gene expression through light
Why is optogenetics used?
Therapeutic delivery tool
Describe temperature-controlled gene expression.
Gene expression turned on between 40-45C
Circuits dictate colour response of E. coli
Give a potential use of temperature-controlled gene expression.
Temperature triggered therapeutics
Describe protein engineering.
Adding new functions to proteins or improving current functions (either by rational design or artificial evolution)
Give an example of protein engineering.
PETase from I. sakaiensis (plastic degrading bacteria) by active site mutation leads to increased activity of enzyme
