Biotech Basics: 16 MCQs with answers

To use living organisms or their components to make useful products

Biotechnology is defined as the use of living organisms, cells, or biological molecules to develop products and technologies that improve life.

Cheese

Cheese production using microorganisms is a traditional biotechnology process, while vaccines, antibiotics, and insulin are modern biotechnological products.

Genetically Modified Organism

GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism, an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.

False

Biotechnology also includes traditional processes like fermentation and selective breeding, not just recombinant DNA technology.

True

Restriction enzymes cut DNA at specific sequences, earning them the nickname 'molecular scissors'.

Restriction endonuclease

Restriction endonucleases, also called restriction enzymes, recognize specific DNA sequences and cut the DNA at or near these sites.

To amplify a specific DNA segment

PCR is a technique used to make millions of copies of a specific DNA sequence in vitro.

Production of human insulin

Human insulin produced by recombinant DNA technology is a key medical application of biotechnology.

It is a natural vector for transferring genes into plants

Agrobacterium tumefaciens naturally transfers a segment of its Ti plasmid DNA into plant cells, and this property is exploited to introduce desired genes into plants.

Gel electrophoresis

Gel electrophoresis separates DNA fragments based on their size, with smaller fragments moving faster through the gel.

An organism that has received a gene from another species

A transgenic organism contains a foreign gene (transgene) introduced from another species using genetic engineering.

Bt cotton

Bt cotton is a genetically modified crop that carries a bacterial gene (Bt toxin gene) for insect resistance, representing modern biotechnology.

To join DNA fragments together

DNA ligase seals the phosphodiester bonds between DNA fragments, joining them into a continuous strand.

Plasmid

Plasmids are small circular DNA molecules that can replicate independently and are commonly used as vectors to carry foreign genes into host cells.

Use of microorganisms to clean up pollutants

Bioremediation is the use of living organisms, typically microbes, to remove or neutralize contaminants from the environment.

Gene flow to wild relatives

One environmental concern is that transgenes from GM crops could escape into wild populations through pollen flow, potentially causing ecological effects.