Text Book Back Questions and Answers - Chapter 9 Applications of Biotechnology 12th Biology Zoology Guide Samacheer Kalvi Solutions - SaraNextGen [2024-2025]

Updated On May 15, 2024

By SaraNextGen

Applications of Biotechnology

Text Book Back Questions and Answers

Question 1.
The first clinical gene therapy was done for the treatment of ______
(a) AIDS
(b) Cancer
(c) Cystic fibrosis
(d) SCID
Answer:
(d) SCID

Question 2.
Dolly, the sheep was obtained by a technique known as _______
(a) Cloning by gene transfer
(b) Cloning without the help of gametes
(c) Cloning by tissue culture of somatic cells
(d) Cloning by nuclear transfer
Answer:
(d) Cloning by nuclear transfer

Question 3.
The genetic defect adenosine deaminase deficiency may be cured permanently by ______
(a) Enzyme replacement therapy
(b) periodic infusion of genetically engineered lymphocytes having ADA cDNA
(c) administering adenosine deaminase activators
(d) introducing bone marrow cells producing ADA into embryo at an early stage of development.
Answer:
(d) introducing bone marrow cells producing ADA into embryo at an early stage of development.

Question 4.
How many amino acids are arranged in the two chains of Insulin?
(a) Chain A has 12 and Chain B has 13
(b) Chain A has 21 and Chain B has 30 amino acids
(c) Chain A has 20 and chain B has 30 amino acids
(d) Chain A has 12 and chain B has 20 amino acids
Answer:
(b) Chain A has 21 and Chain B has 30 amino acids

Question 5.
PCR proceeds in three distinct steps governed by temperature, they are in order of ______
(a) Denaturation, Annealing, Synthesis
(b) Synthesis, Annealing, Denaturation
(c) Annealing, Synthesis, Denaturation
(d) Denaturation, Synthesis, Annealing
Answer:
(a) Denaturation, Annealing, Synthesis

Question 6.
Which one of the following statements is true regarding DNA polymerase used in PCR?
(a) It is used to ligate introduced DNA in recipient cells
(b) It serves as a selectable marker
(c) It is isolated from a Virus
(d) It remains active at a high temperature
Answer:
(d) It remains active at a high temperature

Question 7.
ELISA is mainly used for ______
(a) Detection of mutations
(b) Detection of pathogens
(c) Selecting animals having desired traits
(d) Selecting plants having desired traits
Answer:
(b) Detection of pathogens

Question 8.
Transgenic animals are those which have
(a) Foreign DNA in some of their cells
(b) Foreign DNA in all their cells
(c) Foreign RNA in some of their cells
(d) Foreign RNA in all their cells
Answer:
(b) Foreign DNA in all their cells

Question 9.
Recombinant Factor VIII is produced in the ______ cells of the Chinese Hamster
(a) Liver cells
(b) blood cells
(c) ovarian cells
(d) brain cells
Answer:
(c) ovarian cells

Question 10.
Vaccines that use components of a pathogenic organism rather than the whole organism are called ______
(a) Subunit recombinant vaccines
(b) attenuated recombinant vaccines
(c) DNA vaccines
(d) conventional vaccines
Answer:
(a) Subunit recombinant vaccines

Question 11.
Mention the number of primers required in each cycle of PCR. Write the role of primers and DNA polymerase in PCR. Name the source organism of the DNA polymerase used in PCR.
Answer:

1. For each cycle of PCR two primers are required.

2. Primers are the small fragments of single stranded DNA or RNA which serves as template for initiating DNA polymerization.

3. DNA polymerase is an enzyme that synthesize DNA molecules by pairing the Deoxyribo Nucleotides leading to formation of new strands.

4. DNA polymerase used in PCR is Taq polymerase which is isolated from a thermophilic bacteria called Thermus aquatics. Taq polymerase will remain active ever at very high temperature (80°C) and hence used in PCR amplification technique.

Question 12.
How is the amplification of a gene sample of interest carried out using PCR?
Answer:
Denaturation, renaturation or primer annealing and synthesis or primer extension, are the three steps involved in PCR. The double stranded DNA of interest is denatured to separate into two individual strands by high temperature . This is called denaturation. Each strand is allowed to hybridize with a primer (renaturation or primerannealing). The primer template is used to synthesize DNA by using Taq – DNA polymerase.During denaturation the reaction mixture is heated to 95 °C for a short time to denature the target DNA into single strands that will act as a template for DNA synthesis.

Annealing is done by rapid cooling of the mixture, allowing the primers to bind to the sequences on each of the two strands flanking the target DNA. During primer extension or synthesis the temperature of the mixture is increased to 75°C for a sufficient period of time to allow Taq DNA polymerase extend each primer by copying the single stranded template.

At the end of incubation both single template strands will be made partially double stranded. The new strand of each double stranded DNA extends to a variable distance downstream. These steps are repeated again and again to generate multiple forms of the desired DNA. This process is also called DNA amplification.

Question 13.
What is genetically engineered Insulin?
Answer:
The insulin synthesized by recombinant DNA technology is called genetically engineered Insulin. It was the first ever pharmaceutical product of DNA technology. In 1986, human insulin was marked under the trade name Humulin.

Question 14.
Explain how “Rosie” is different from a normal cow.
Answer:
Rosie was the first transgenic cow. It produced human protein enriched milk, which contained the human alpha lactalbumin (2.4 gm/litre). This milk was a nutritionally balanced food for infants than the normal milk of cows.

Question 15.
How was Insulin obtained before the advent of rDNA technology? What were the problems encountered?
Answer:
Conventionally, Insulin was isolated and refined from the pancreas of pigs and cows to treat diabetic patients. Though it is effective, due to minor structural changes, the animal insulin caused allergic reaction in few patients.

Question 16.
ELISA is a technique based on the principles of antigen-antibody reactions. Can this technique be used in the molecular diagnosis of a genetic disorder such as Phenylketonuria?
Answer:
Yes, ELISA test can be done to diagnose phenylketonuria. The affected person does not produce the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase. If specific antibodies are developed against the enzyme and ELISA is performed, the unaffected person will show positive result due to antigen and antibody reaction, whereas the affected individual produces negative result. [Note: phenylketonuria is an inherited metabolic disorder that causes the accumulation of Phenylalanine (an amino acid) in body cells due to defect in the synthesizing of an enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase]

Question 17.
Gene therapy is an attempt to correct a Genetic defect by providing a normal gene into the individual. By this the function can be restored. An alternate method would be to provide gene product known as enzyme replacement therapy, which would also restore the function. Which in your opinion is a better option? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Though both Gene therapy and Enzyme replacement therapy helps to restore the genetic defects, Gene therapy is much better than Enzyme replacement therapy. Because, in Gene therapy once the defective gene is repaired using normal gene, the affected individual gains complete recovery whereas, in Enzyme replacement therapy, the respective enzyme or protein has to be provided periodically and does not offer permanent cure. Moreover when compared to Gene therapy, the Enzyme replacement therapy is highly expensive.

Question 18.
What are transgenic animals? Give examples.
Answer:
Transgenesis is the process of introduction of extra (foreign/exogenous) DNA into the genome of the animals to create and maintain stable heritable characters. The foreign DNA that is introduced is called the transgene and the animals that are produced by DNA manipulations are called transgenic animals or the genetically engineered or genetically modified organisms.
Example: Mice, Cow

Question 19.
If a person thinks he is infected with HIV, due to unprotected sex, and goes for a blood test. Do you think a test such as ELISA will help? If so why? If not, why?
Answer:
Yes, ELISA is a highly sensitive and precise procedure and can detect antigens even in the range of a nanogram. So, it can be used to detect HIV in blood.

Question 20.
Explain how ADA deficiency can be corrected?
Answer:
The right approach for SCID treatment would be to give the patient a functioning ADA which breaks down toxic biological products. In some children ADA deficiency could be cured by bone marrow transplantation, where defective immune cells could be replaced with healthy immune cells from a donor. In some patients it can be treated by enzyme replacement therapy, in which functional ADA is injected into the patient.

During gene therapy the lymphocytes from the blood of the patient are removed and grown in a nutrient culture medium. A healthy and functional human gene, ADA cDNA encoding this enzyme is introduced into the lymphocytes using a retrovirus. The genetically engineered lymphocytes are subsequently returned to the patient. Since these cells are not immortal, the patient requires periodic infusion of such genetically engineered lymphocytes. The disease could be cured permanently if the gene for ADA isolated from bone marrow cells are introduced into the cells of the early embryonic stages.

Question 21.
What are DNA vaccines?
Answer:
Genetic immunisation by using DNA vaccines is a novel approach that came into being in 1990. The immune response of the body is stimulated by a DNA molecule. A DNA vaccine consists of a gene encoding an antigenic protein, inserted onto a plasmid, and then incorporated into the cells in a target animal. DNA instructs the cells to make antigenic molecules which are displayed on its surfaces. This would evoke an antibody response to the free floating antigen secreted by the cells. The DNA vaccine cannot cause the disease as it contains only copies of a few of its genes. DNA vaccines are relatively easy and inexpensive to design and produce.

Question 22.
Differentiate between Somatic cell gene therapy and Germline gene therapy.
Answer:
Somatic Cell Gene Therapy:

1. Therapeutic genes transferred into the somatic cells.

2. Introduction of genes into bone marrow cells, blood cells, skin cells etc.

3. Will not be inherited in later generations.

Germ Line Gene Therapy:

1. Therapeutic genes transferred into the germ cells.

2. Genes introduced into eggs and sperms.

3. Heritable and passed on to later generations.

Question 23.
What are stem cells? Explain its role in the field of medicine.
Answer:
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells found in most of the multi cellular animals. These cells maintain their undifferentiated state even after undergoing numerous mitotic divisions.

Stem cell research has the potential to revolutionize the future of medicine with the ability to regenerate damaged and diseased organs. Stem cells are capable of self renewal and exhibit ‘cellular potency’. Stem cells can differentiate into all types of cells that are derived from any of the three germ layers ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm.

Question 24.
One of the applications of biotechnology is ‘gene therapy” to treat a person born with a hereditary disease

1. What does “gene therapy” mean?

2. Name the hereditary disease for which the first clinical gene therapy was used.

3. Mention the steps involved in gene therapy to treat this disease.

4. Gene therapy is the process in which the defective genes are replaced with normal genes leading to the expression of proper phenotype.

Answer:

1. SCID (Severe Combined Immuno Deficiency) disease was the first disease treated by using gene therapy.

2. There are two strategies involved in gene therapy namely Gene augmentation therapy, which involves insertion of DNA into the genome to replace the missing gene product and Gene inhibition therapy, which involves insertion of the anti sense gene which inhibits the expression of the dominant gene.

Question 25.
PCR is a useful tool for early diagnosis of an Infectious disease. Elaborate.
Answer:
The specificity and sensitivity of PCR is useful for the diagnosis of inherited disorders (genetic diseases), viral diseases, bacterial diseases, etc., The diagnosis and treatment of a particular disease often requires identifying a particular pathogen. Traditional methods of identification involve culturing these organisms from clinical specimens and performing metabolic and other tests to identify them. The concept behind PCR based diagnosis of infectious diseases is simple – if the pathogen is present in a clinical specimen its DNA will be present.

Its DNA has unique sequences that can be detected by PCR, often using the clinical specimen (for example, blood, stool, spinal fluid, or sputum) in the PCR mixture.

Question 26.
What are recombinant vaccines? Explain the types.
Answer:
Vaccines developed by using recombinant DNA technology are called recombinant vaccines. Subunit recombinant vaccines, attenuated recombinant vaccines, DNA vaccines are the types of recombinant vaccines.

Question 27.
Explain why cloning of Dolly, the sheep was such a major scientific breakthrough?
Answer:
The development of Dolly was a remarkable achievement in scientific field and it demonstrates thatthe DNA from differentiated adult cells can also be used to develop into an entire organism.

Question 28.
Mention the advantages and disadvantages of cloning.
Answer:

1. Offers benefits for clinical trials and medical research. It can help in the production of proteins and drugs in the field of medicine.

2. Aids stem cell research.

3. Animal cloning could help to save endangered species.

4. Animal and human activists see it as a threat to biodiversity saying that this alters evolution which will have an impact on populations and the ecosystem.

5. The process is tedious and very expensive.

6. It can cause animals to suffer.

7. Reports show that animal surrogates were manifesting adverse outcomes and cloned animals were affected with disease and have high mortality rate.

8. It might compromise human health through consumption of cloned animal meat.

9. Cloned animals age faster than normal animals and are less healthy than the parent organism as discovered in Dolly

10. Cloning can lead to occurrence of genetic disorders in animals.

11. More than 90% of cloning attempts fail to produce a viable offspring.

Question 29.
Explain how recombinant Insulin can be produced.
Answer:
Production of insulin by recombinant DNA technology started in the late 1970s. This technique involved the insertion of human insulin gene on the plasmids of E. coli. The polypeptide chains are synthesized as a precursor called pre-pro insulin, which contains A and B segments linked by a third chain (C) and preceded by a leader sequence. The leader sequence is removed after translation and the C chain is excised, leaving the A and B polypeptide chains Explain the steps involved in the production of recombinant hGH.

Using recombinant DNA technology hGH can be produced. The gene for hGH is isolated from the human pituitary gland cells. The isolated gene is inserted into a plasmid vector and then is transferred into E. coli. The recombinant E. coli then starts producing human growth hormone. The recombinant E. coli are isolated from the culture and mass production of hGH is carried out by fermentation technology.