Biotechnology Overview Quiz

Biotechnology

• Biotechnology is technology based on biology/biological entities.
• It harnesses cellular and biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products.
• Application at an industrial scale is implied.
• Research may be done to develop a product, but scaling up is needed for application to reach the phase of "biotechnology".
• Biological entities can be plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, or archaea (microorganisms).

Technology Harnessing Microorganisms

• Microorganisms' biology can be harnessed directly.
• Other living things' biology can be harnessed indirectly by using recombinant DNA technologies in microorganisms.
• Synthetic biology uses microorganisms as material for synthesis.

Microbes in Food Production (via Fermentation)

• Fermented milk products primarily rely on lactic acid bacteria (LAB), belonging to genera Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, and Streptococcus.
• These bacteria are gram-positive, tolerate acidic conditions, are non-spore-forming, and have a strictly fermentative metabolism.
• Cheese production has a history dating back to 3100 BC, with approximately 2,000 distinct varieties.
• Varieties are categorized based on texture and hardness (soft, semi-soft, hard, very hard).

Microbes in Waste/Wastewater Treatment

• Composting is used for fertilizer production, which involves processing domestic wastewater.
• Wastewater often has high organic content. Bacteria consume organic content to reduce it.
• This process results in lower organic content wastewater that can be released into the environment.
• Microbial activity in waste/wastewater treatment occurs in process tanks.

Microbes in Bioactive Compound Production

• Microorganisms produce bioactive compounds, such as antibiotics, amino acids, organic acids, vitamins, biosurfactants, and biopolymers (e.g., PHA).
• Industrial-scale fermenters with specific culture media and growth conditions are used for microbial activities in production.

Traditional Microbial Biotechnology Pattern

• Certain microorganisms possess metabolic capabilities.
• These capabilities can ferment food, reduce organic content in waste, and generate useful compounds.
• Microorganisms are grown on a large scale in their natural sites (e.g., food/waste) under controlled conditions.
• Alternatively, microorganisms can be grown in prescribed culture medium in controlled fermenters.

Growing Microbes Industrially

• Stirred fermenters and continuous feed of nutrients are used.
• Continuous feeding ensures no excess substrate, preventing accumulation of undesirable metabolic products.
• Industrial growth methods are more energy-efficient, cheaper, produce higher yields, and have less toxic waste compared to chemical methods.

Traditional Biotechnology (Genetic Manipulation)

• Traditional biotechnology relies on the natural metabolic capabilities of microorganisms.
• Genetic manipulation via molecular techniques enhances and expands microbial capabilities.
• This allows for creating "cheap microbial factories" to produce compounds that are not naturally produced by the original microorganism.

Enhancing/Expanding Microbial Capabilities

• Modifying genes to change enzyme/active biomolecule structure improves efficiency of catalysis and pathway stability.
• Altering regulatory components enhances gene expression, allowing operation under cheaper conditions.
• This increases the overall yields of bioactive compounds.
• Methods of modification may include random mutagenesis (UV, transposons, chemicals) followed by screening for desirable mutants, or site-directed mutagenesis (determining mutation sites from research on genes' functions).

Heterologous Gene Expression

• Heterologous genes can be introduced into microorganisms using recombinant DNA, exploiting economical culture conditions of host microorganisms.
• If the host is an animal or plant, the result is a transgenic animal or plant.

Pathway Engineering

• Genes and their expression between organisms can create novel processes and products, improving existing biochemical pathways, especially where synthesis or biodegradation of industrially-important chemicals or pollutants are concerned.
• Example of this - Using genes to enhance degradation of pollutants in water or increase the amount of useful products.

Pathway Engineering: (Indigo Synthesis Example)

• Pseudomonas has Napthalene oxygenase gene.
• This gene can be cloned and inserted into E . coli.
• E . coli can then produce indigo from tryptophan.

Environmental Gene Mining

• Environmental gene mining is a method to identify and isolate functional genes from environmental samples, which can't be grown in a lab.
• To do it you can: Collect DNA, Construct genomic libraries in BACs, Transform host, Screen library.

Animal Gene Cloning and Expression

• Animal genes (e.g., bovine somatotropin) can be cloned and expressed in transgenic bacteria for use in industrial production or other applications.

Bacteria in Producing Transgenic Plants

• Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a plant pathogen, can be used to introduce foreign genes (e.g., herbicide resistance) into plant cells using its TI plasmid.
• The Ti plasmid carries the foreign gene and can be transferred directly into plant cells, where it inserts into the plant's chromosome.

Engineered Bacteria for Therapeutic Delivery

• Pathogens can be genetically modified to release drugs inside tumors (e.g., low-oxygen environments of tumors).
• Pathogens can release tumor-cell antigens to stimulate antibody production and immune system destruction.
• Probiotic bacteria can be engineered to deliver therapeutic molecules and train the immune system to tolerate beneficial microbes).

Microbial Energy Conversion

• The world relies heavily on fossil fuels (petroleum, coal, natural gas) for energy but these are finite, contribute to greenhouse gases and climate change.
• Microbial transformations provide alternative renewable energy sources (biofuels).
• Microbial fuel cells and bioreactors that use microbes to change stored chemical energy into electricity are another example.

Microbial Biofuels

• Ethanol, a biofuel, can be produced from corn using Caldicellulosiruptor bescii bacteria.
• This altered bacteria's glycolytic pathway to produce more ethanol from glucose by replacing certain genes
• TAGs can be generated from cyanobacteria and microalgae as biofuel precursors for diesel.
• Anaerobic digesters can produce methane (CH4) from manure, similar to fossil fuel.

Microbial Fuel Cells

• Microbial fuel cells capture electrons generated when microbes oxidize organic matter, which converts into electricity.
• This process involves a continuously-fed rich diet of organic substances, which allows for protons to diffuse across the membrane, and electrons to flow to the cathode and generate electricity.

Microbial Biosensors

• Microbial cells, enzymes, or organelles can act as receptors to detect specific substances, such as enzymes, antibiotics, or antigens.
• The detection process triggers biological reactions that are converted into electrical signals in order to be measured .

Synthetic Biology and Genome Editing

• Bits of DNA, genes, operons, or entire genomes can be stitched together (engineered) from various sources or organisms.
• Allows existing organisms' properties to change or completely new organisms to be made
• It is done by genetic engineering and assembly, inserting assembled biobricks into vector or chromosome, transform into a model microbe or plant)

Test your knowledge on the core concepts of biotechnology with this engaging quiz. Explore topics such as the role of microorganisms, synthetic biology, and the applications of biotechnological methods in industry. Perfect for students looking to solidify their understanding of this vital field.