Biotechnology and its Applications - Handwritten Notes PDF

# Biotechnology and its Applications ## 1. 3 Critical research areas of biotechnology are: - Providing the best catalyst in form of improved organism usually a microbe or pure enzyme. - Creating optimal conditions through engineering for a catalyst to act. - Downstream processing technologies to p...

# Biotechnology and its Applications ## 1. 3 Critical research areas of biotechnology are: - Providing the best catalyst in form of improved organism usually a microbe or pure enzyme. - Creating optimal conditions through engineering for a catalyst to act. - Downstream processing technologies to purify the protein. ## 2. Applications of Biotech: ### 2.1 Agriculture - BT cotton - Golden Rice - Flavr Savr Tomato - RNA interference ### 2.2. Medicine - Humulin - Gene therapy - Molecular Diagnosis ### 2.3. Transgenic Animals - Ethical issues ## 3. Applications In Agriculture - Made crops tolerant to abiotic stress (cold, drought, salt, heat) - Pest resistant crops (BT cotton) - Reduced post harvest losses - Increased efficiency of mineral usage - Enhanced nutritional value - e.g. Golden rice - VitA enriched - Increased shelf life: - e.g. Flavr Savr tomato ### 3. (a) BT Cotton - Examples of BT crops: - Tomato - Potato - Corn - Cotton - Rice - Soyabean - Brinjal - BT toxin targets: - Lepidopterans (tobacco budworm, armyworm) - Coleopterans (beetles) - Dipterans (flies, mosquitoes) - BT toxin produced as 'protoxin' (inactive) in Bacillus thuringiensis. - Toxin gets activated by alkaline pH of midgut of insects. - Midgut epithelial cells are lysed causing death of insects. - cry I Ac, cry I Ab - Cotton bollworm - cry I Ab - Corn borer. ### 3. (b) RNA Interference - Another method of making pest resistant plants. - Meloidogyne incognitia infects roots of tobacco plant and causes 'Root Knot' disease. - RNAi takes place in all eukaryotic organisms as a method of cellular defense. - An important mRNA of the nematode is silenced by a complementary ds RNA produced by the genetically modified plant. - Using Agrobacterium vectors, nematode-specific genes were introduced into the host plant. - These genes produced both sense and anti sense RNA ## 4. Biotechnological Applications in Medicine (Worldwide 30 recombinant proteins are approved for human use, 12 are marketed in India) ### 4. (a) Genetically Engineered Insulin - For diabetic patients, - Bovine Insulin - Allergic to humans - Porkine Insulin - Pro insulin - A peptide - C peptide - B peptide - Processing: - Bacteria cannot do this complex processing. - In 1983, Eli Lily, an American company found a solution. - DNA corresponding to A peptide (Ecoli) - DNA corresponding to B peptide (Ecoli) - Joined in lab: - A peptide - B peptide ### 4. (b) Gene Therapy: - 1st gene therapy: - For adenosine deaminase deficiency - Disease: SCID (Severe combined Immuno deficiency) - In 1990, to a 4 year old girl. - Enzyme is very important for functioning of immune system. It is produced by lymphocytes. - Approaches: - Bone marrow transplant - Enzyme replacement therapy - Not completely curative - Gene Therapy: - Lymphocytes grown out of body - A functional ADA cDNA is introduced (using retrovirus) - Lymphocytes returned to body - Periodic infusions of such lymphocytes - Only permanent cure: Functional functional ADA gene introduced in cells at early embryonic stages. ### 4. (c) Molecular diagnosis - Early detection with conventional methods of diagnosis (serum x urine analysis) is not possible. - So genetic material of pathogen can be amplified using CPR and detected easily. - (Routinely used to detect HIV in AIDS suspects) - To detect gene mutations in suspected cancer patients. - Method: - A probe (ssDNA or RNA, tagged with radioactive material) is allowed to hybridise with complementary DNA (suspected of mutation). - A normal DNA would hybridise with probe while the mutated DNA won't. - The hybridisation is detected by autoradiography. - ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) - Based on antigen-antibody interaction. ## 5. Transgenic Animals - Transgenic rats, rabbits, pigs, sheep, cows and fish have been produced. - 95% of all transgenic animals are mice. ### 5. (i) Normal physiology & development ### 5. (ii) Study of disease - Transgenic models for human diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer's exist. ### 5. (iii) Biological products - X-1-antitrypsin to treat Emphysma. - In 1997, first transgenic cow, Rosie, produced human protein alpha-lactalbumin (2.4gm/ltr) in milk. (more balanced for human babies than normal cow milk) ### 5. (iv) Vaccine safety testing ### 5. (v) Chemical safety testing ## 6. Ethical Issues - GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee) (Set up by Indian Govt) - Several companies of developed countries are being granted biopatents for products that people of developing and underdeveloped countries have been using since time immemorial. - 2 Lakh varieties of rice in India. - 27 documented varieties of Basmati. - In 1997, an American company got patent rights on Basmati rice. - Attempts have been made to patent medicines & herbs of India. - e.g. Turmeric, neem - Biopiracy: Use of bioresources by multinational companies and other organizations without proper authorization from countries & people concerned without compensatory payment. - Second amendment of Indian Patents bill has been passed.