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Questions and Answers
Which definition best describes biotechnology?
Which definition best describes biotechnology?
Which is NOT classified as a microbial product in the pharmaceutical sector?
Which is NOT classified as a microbial product in the pharmaceutical sector?
Which sector includes the use of microbial pesticides?
Which sector includes the use of microbial pesticides?
What application would be considered part of the energy sector in microbial biotechnology?
What application would be considered part of the energy sector in microbial biotechnology?
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Which of the following is an example of a red biotechnology application?
Which of the following is an example of a red biotechnology application?
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Which application falls under the environmental sector of microbial biotechnology?
Which application falls under the environmental sector of microbial biotechnology?
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Microbial biotechnology can improve agricultural outputs. Which of the following methods is involved in this improvement?
Microbial biotechnology can improve agricultural outputs. Which of the following methods is involved in this improvement?
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Which of the following statements about microbial biotechnology is accurate?
Which of the following statements about microbial biotechnology is accurate?
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What effect does competitive inhibition have on enzyme activity?
What effect does competitive inhibition have on enzyme activity?
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Which statement best describes bactericidal antibiotics?
Which statement best describes bactericidal antibiotics?
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What is the role of the 30s and 50s ribosomal subunits in protein synthesis inhibition?
What is the role of the 30s and 50s ribosomal subunits in protein synthesis inhibition?
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How do some antibiotics inhibit nucleic acid synthesis?
How do some antibiotics inhibit nucleic acid synthesis?
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What happens to bacteria upon exposure to a bacteriostatic antibiotic?
What happens to bacteria upon exposure to a bacteriostatic antibiotic?
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In the crowded plate method, what is the main purpose of transferring 1 ml of each selected dilution to a plate?
In the crowded plate method, what is the main purpose of transferring 1 ml of each selected dilution to a plate?
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What distinguishes a bacteriostatic antibiotic from a bactericidal antibiotic?
What distinguishes a bacteriostatic antibiotic from a bactericidal antibiotic?
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What characteristic of antibiotic structure allows it to compete with substrate binding in competitive inhibition?
What characteristic of antibiotic structure allows it to compete with substrate binding in competitive inhibition?
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What is the role of transglycosylase enzymes in peptidoglycan synthesis?
What is the role of transglycosylase enzymes in peptidoglycan synthesis?
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Which of the following is a major action of antibiotics related to cell wall synthesis?
Which of the following is a major action of antibiotics related to cell wall synthesis?
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Mycoplasma's resistance to antibiotics is mainly due to which characteristic?
Mycoplasma's resistance to antibiotics is mainly due to which characteristic?
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What is the chemical structure distinguishing archaea from bacteria regarding their cell wall?
What is the chemical structure distinguishing archaea from bacteria regarding their cell wall?
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Which process involves the formation of pores or channels across the cell membrane as an action of some antibiotics?
Which process involves the formation of pores or channels across the cell membrane as an action of some antibiotics?
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What is the function of transpeptidase enzymes in cell wall synthesis?
What is the function of transpeptidase enzymes in cell wall synthesis?
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What characteristic of archaea allows them to be resistant to certain antibiotics?
What characteristic of archaea allows them to be resistant to certain antibiotics?
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Which of the following components is absent in the cell walls of archaea compared to bacteria?
Which of the following components is absent in the cell walls of archaea compared to bacteria?
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What best describes the function of antibiotics?
What best describes the function of antibiotics?
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Which type of antibiotics is effective against a wide range of microorganisms?
Which type of antibiotics is effective against a wide range of microorganisms?
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Which action is NOT a major function of antibiotics?
Which action is NOT a major function of antibiotics?
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What is the antimicrobial spectrum?
What is the antimicrobial spectrum?
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What is the primary source of antibiotics?
What is the primary source of antibiotics?
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How are antibiotics classified?
How are antibiotics classified?
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Which of the following is a characteristic of narrow spectrum antibiotics?
Which of the following is a characteristic of narrow spectrum antibiotics?
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What role do autolysins play in the action of antibiotics?
What role do autolysins play in the action of antibiotics?
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What is the first step in preparing the nutrient agar medium?
What is the first step in preparing the nutrient agar medium?
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What is indicated by an area of agar that is free of microbial growth?
What is indicated by an area of agar that is free of microbial growth?
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What disadvantage is associated with isolating antibiotic-producing microorganisms using this method?
What disadvantage is associated with isolating antibiotic-producing microorganisms using this method?
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At what temperature do the plates need to be incubated for optimal growth of the test microorganism?
At what temperature do the plates need to be incubated for optimal growth of the test microorganism?
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Which of the following is NOT a step in the Spot-on-Lawn Method?
Which of the following is NOT a step in the Spot-on-Lawn Method?
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What is the purpose of inoculating the plates with the test microorganism?
What is the purpose of inoculating the plates with the test microorganism?
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Which step involves ensuring aseptic conditions during the preparation of nutrient agar medium?
Which step involves ensuring aseptic conditions during the preparation of nutrient agar medium?
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How can one identify an antimicrobial compound's activity in a colony?
How can one identify an antimicrobial compound's activity in a colony?
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Study Notes
Microbial Biotechnology (408 AMB)
- Microbial biotechnology applies scientific and engineering principles to raw materials using microorganisms or microbial substances for commercial products and services.
- The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as any technological application that uses biological systems or living organisms to make or modify products or processes for specific use.
- Biotechnology involves using living organisms or substances from organisms to:
- modify or make new products or processes
- improve plants or animals
- develop microorganisms for specific uses
- Biotechnology uses scientific and engineering principles applied to raw materials using biological agents to create commercial products.
- Raw materials include organic and inorganic materials.
- Biological agents include microorganisms, microbial products, animal cells, and plant cells.
- Biotechnology disciplines include:
- Red Biotechnology (Medical)
- Green Biotechnology (Agriculture)
- White Biotechnology (Industrial)
- Blue Biotechnology (Marine)
Microbial Products Classification
- Microbial products are categorized into 6 industrial sectors:
- Chemical sector (enzymes, polysaccharides, organic solvents, organic acids)
- Pharmaceutical and health sector (antibiotics, therapeutic enzymes, vaccines, antibodies, human hormones, biosensors, gene therapy)
- Energy sector (ethanol, methane biogas)
- Food sector (baker's yeast, food additives, beverages, single cell protein)
- Agricultural sector (microbial fertilizers, tissue culture, transfer of nif-gene for nitrogen fixation, increasing milk, meat and egg production, veterinary vaccines, production of animal feed)
- Environmental sector (removing heavy metals from water, biodegradation of oil, plastics)
Antimicrobial Agents
- Antimicrobial agents are chemical compounds that kill or inhibit the growth or metabolism of microorganisms without significant toxicity to the host.
- Examples of antimicrobial agents include antibacterial drugs, antiviral agents, antifungal agents, and antiparasitic drugs.
- Antibiotics are secondary metabolites produced by some microorganisms that kill or inhibit other microorganisms even at low concentrations.
- Common antibiotic-producing microorganisms include bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi.
Classification of Antibiotics
- Antibiotics are classified based on:
- Antimicrobial spectrum
- Chemical structure
- Manner of biosynthesis
- Producer strain
- Mode of action
Antimicrobial Spectrum
- The antimicrobial spectrum determines the range of microbial species susceptible to a specific antimicrobial agent.
- Antibiotics can have a broad spectrum (active against a wide range of microorganisms) or narrow spectrum (active against a limited range of microorganisms).
- The spectrum of activity can change with the acquisition of resistance genes.
Antibiotics Mode of Action
- Inhibition of cell wall synthesis is a major mode of action for some antibiotics.
- Bacteria need to synthesize new peptidoglycan to increase size during binary fission. This involves breaking down existing connections and inserting new monomers while reforming peptide crosslinks.
- Some antibiotics block the formation of cell walls, causing the cell to break down.
- Microorganisms like Mycoplasma and Archaea are resistant to some antibiotics because they lack peptidoglycans in their cell walls. Archaea have pseudopeptidoglycans which differ chemically.
- Destruction of the cell membrane is another mechanism. Some antibiotics create pores or channels across the bacterial cell membrane, causing permeabilization, and thereby impairing transport into and out of the cell.
- Inhibition of protein synthesis involves binding to ribosome subunits (30S and 50S), blocking tRNA attachment, misreading mRNA, or interfering with amino acid binding.
- Inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis can halt DNA or RNA replication.
- Competitive inhibition occurs when an antibiotic's structure resembles the enzyme's substrate, blocking the substrate from binding to the active site, thereby inhibiting the synthesis of the product. It can also bind to an allosteric site on the enzyme.
- Bactericidal antibiotics irreversibly kill bacteria by interfering with cell wall formation or cell content.
- Bacteriostatic antibiotics inhibit bacterial growth and reproduction. The cells stop dividing; however, if the antibiotic is removed, these cells start multiplying again.
- Some drugs that are bacteriostatic at lower concentrations can be bactericidal at higher concentrations.
Isolation of Antimicrobial-Producing Microorganisms
- Methods include crowded plate and spot-on-lawn methods.
- Crowded plate method: isolates antibiotic-producing microorganisms without regard to their sensitivity to the antimicrobial compound; uses serial dilutions for inoculation on plates and observation of inhibition zones around colonies.
- Spot-on-lawn method: the test microorganism serves as an indicator for antimicrobial activity; serial dilutions of the sample are prepared and spotted on a lawn of the test microorganism. Incubation will reveal areas around spots where no microbial growth occurred.
- Both have possible disadvantages regarding the selection of organisms and presence of inhibition not directly related to the antibiotic compound being screened.
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Description
Explore the fundamentals of microbial biotechnology, focusing on its scientific and engineering principles. This quiz covers the applications of microorganisms in creating commercial products and the various disciplines within biotechnology. Test your knowledge on how raw materials and biological agents are utilized in this field.
