Scribd
Upload
48 views7 pages

Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering

Biotechnology and genetic engineering involve using bacteria and other organisms to produce useful products like medicines. Bacteria are useful for this because they reproduce quickly and can be manipulated without ethical concerns. Genetic engineering techniques allow genes from other organisms to be inserted into bacterial DNA, enabling bacteria to produce new substances like insulin for treating diabetes.

Uploaded by

tkomalsh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
48 views7 pages

Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering

Biotechnology and genetic engineering involve using bacteria and other organisms to produce useful products like medicines. Bacteria are useful for this because they reproduce quickly and can be manipulated without ethical concerns. Genetic engineering techniques allow genes from other organisms to be inserted into bacterial DNA, enabling bacteria to produce new substances like insulin for treating diabetes.

Uploaded by

tkomalsh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 7

Biotechnology and genetic engineering

 Biotechnology is the application of biological organisms, systems or processes to


manufacturing and service industries.
 Genetic engineering involves the transfer of genes from one organism to (usually)
an unrelated species.
 Both processes often make use of bacteria because of their ability to make complex
molecules (eg. proteins) and their rapid reproduction rate.
 Bacteria are useful in biotechnology and genetic engineering because they can be
grown and manipulated without raising ethical concerns.
 They have a genetic code that is the same as all other organisms, so genes from
other animals or plants can be successfully transferred into bacterial DNA.
 Bacterial DNA is in the form of a circular strand and also small circular pieces
called plasmids.
 Scientists have developed techniques to cut open these plasmids and insert sections
of DNA from other organisms into them.
 When the bacterium divides, the DNA in the modified plasmid is copied, including the
‘foreign’ DNA.
This may contain a gene to make a particular protein such as insulin, which
can be extracted and used as a medicine to treat diabetes.

1
The control of all the normal activities of a bacterium depends upon its
single chromosome and small rings of genes called plasmids. In genetic
engineering pieces of chromosome from a different organism can be inserted into a
plasmid. This allows the bacteria to make a new substance.

Examples: antibiotic-resistance strains of bacteria

Bacteria reproduced rapidly - a new generation can be produced every 20


minutes by binary fission. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial
infections: an antibiotic is a chemical that kills bacteria by preventing
bacterial cell wall formation.

Mutations occur during reproduction, which produce some variation in the


population of bacteria.
Individual bacteria with the most favourable features are most likely to
survive and reproduce.
A mutation may occur that enables a bacterium to resist being killed by
antibiotic treatment, while the rest of the population is killed when
treated. This bacterium would survive the treatment and breed, passing
on the antibiotic - resistant gene to its offspring. Future treatment of this
population of bacteria using the antibiotic would be ineffective.

2
INDUSTRIAL FERMENTER: Where Reactions using Microorganisms to Make a
Range of Food Products and Medicines, Enzymes and Fuels takes Place in a
Controlled Environment

Diagram:

3
SUITABLE CONDITIONS:

CONDITION EXPLANATION
ASEPTIC Fermenter is Cleaned by Steam to Kill Microorganisms
PRECAUTIONS and Prevent Chemical Contamination, Only allowing
Desired Microorganisms to Grow

NUTRIENTS Nutrients are needed to be Used in Respiration to Release


Energy for Growth, allowing Reactions to Take Place

OPTIMUM Optimum Temperature and pH is Maintained using Probes


TEMPERATURE to Ensure an Optimum Environment for Enzymes to
AND pH Increase Enzyme Activity (Enzyme Denatures if
Temperature and pH is Too High)

OXYGENATION Oxygen is Needed for Aerobic Respiration to Take Place


as Most Reactions are Aerobic

AGITATION Stirring Paddles Ensures that the Microorganisms,


Nutrients, Oxygen, Temperature and pH is Evenly
Distributed

 Penicillin: an antibiotic produced by a fungus called penicillium.

Stainless steel fermentation vessel is filled with medium containing sugars and

ammonium salts.

Penicillium is added to produce penicillin. They use sugar for respiration

and ammonium salts to make protein and nucleic acids

The fermentation vessel consists of:

PAWS

o Probes monitor temperature and pH

o Air provides oxygen for aerobic respiration in fungus

o Water-cooled jacket removes heat to maintain temperature of 24C.

4
o Stirrer keeps the microorganism suspended (allowing access to nutrients and

oxygen) while maintaining an even temperature.

o Filtered to remove fungus and then can be crystallized to make capsules.

5
Using genetic engineering to put human insulin genes into bacteria

Credit: BBC Bitesize

1. Human cells with genes for healthy insulin are selected.


2. A chromosome (a length of DNA) is removed from the cell.
3. The insulin gene is cut from the chromosome using restriction endonuclease
enzyme.
4. A suitable bacterial cell is selected. Some of its DNA is in the form of circular
plasmids.
5. All the plasmids are removed from the bacterial cell.
6. The plasmids are cut open using the same restriction endonuclease enzyme.

6
7. The human insulin gene is inserted into the plasmids using ligase enzyme.
8. The plasmid are returned to the bacterial cell (only one is shone in the
diagram).
9. The bacterial cell is allowed to reproduce in a fermenter. All the cells
produced contain plasmids with the human insulin gene.

Using genetic engineering to produce bacteria that make human insulin.

The importance of this process

 Diabetics need a source of insulin to control their blood sugar level. In the
past cow insulin has been used, but some people are allergic to it. Human
insulin produced from genetically engineered bacteria will not trigger an
allergic reaction.
 The insulin is acceptable to people with a range of religious belief who may
not be allowed to use insulin from animals such as cows or pigs.
 The product is very pure.
 Human insulin can be made on a commercial scale, reducing costs.

You might also like