Enzymes

Question 1

(1) Name the enzyme used to join the insulin gene to the plasmid.

Answer 1

ligase

Question 2

(2) Suggest why the same restriction enzyme was used to cut the human chromosome and the plasmid.

Answer 2

leaves single stranded ends /overhangs / sticky ends (1) which makes inserting the gene into plasmid more successful

Question 3

(6) Describe how enzyme technology can be used to produce these food products.

Answer 3

Sweets
• made using invertase/sucrase
• converts sucrose into glucose and fructose
• reduces viscosity of sugar mixture
• increases simple sugar content, increasing sweetness
• production of soft centred sweets
• production of lower calorie sweets

Vegetarian Cheese
• made using chymosin
• produced by genetically modified organisms
• Chymosin initiates clotting/protein coagulation
• reduces the use of rennet extracted from animals

Lactose free milk
• made using lactase
• using immobilised enzymes
• lactose converted to galactose and glucose
• beneficial to people with lactose intolerance

Question 4

(2) Describe how biological washing powders can make clothes cleaner than nonbiological washing powders.

Answer 4

digestive enzymes/named digestive enzyme (1)
breakdown named biological stain (1)
stains into soluble products (1)