Biotechnology: Principles and MCQ

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Shwetha S

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Biotechnology is the study of methods that use living things or their enzymes to create things that are helpful to people. In this way, microbe-mediated activities like generating curd, bread, or wine could also be considered a type of biotechnology. The term "biotechnology" has been defined by the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) to include both traditional biotechnology and modern molecular biotechnology. The EFB defines natural science as "the integration of organisms, cells, components of organisms, and molecular equivalents for products and services."

The principles of biotechnology include

  1. Genetic engineering: Methods for introducing altered DNA and RNA into host organisms in order to change the phenotypic of the host organism.
  2. Bioprocess engineering: Keeping chemical engineering processes sterile (free of microbial contamination) to allow the growth of only the appropriate microbe/eukaryotic cell in high quantities for the production of biotechnological goods as antibiotics, vaccines, enzymes, etc.

Read more: Nucleic acids


Ques. Which of the following is a genetic engineering-related topic?

a) Plastid

b) Heterosis

c) Plasmid 

d) Mutation 

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Ans: c) Plasmid 

Explanation: Plasmids are circular, double-stranded DNA molecules that are usually quite tiny. It differs from the chromosomal DNA of a cell. The ones employed in genetic engineering applications are plasmids. The term "vector" refers to plasmids used in genetic engineering. It performs the gene transfer process to bacterial cells as well as to cells of other species, whether they be plants, animals, or any other type of life. This is advantageous to that specific organism because it increases growth rates or disease resistance.

Ques. In genetic engineering manipulation of DNA became possible due to the discovery of

a) Restriction endonuclease

b) Primase

c) Transcriptase

d) DNA ligase

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Ans: a) Restriction endonuclease

Explanation: The discovery of restriction endonuclease made it possible to manipulate DNA for use in genetic engineering. There are several hundred restriction enzymes that have been isolated from bacterial cells and are used by molecular biologists as tools. Each one has a unique sequence requirement that determines where it will cut DNA. As a result, when a restriction enzyme breaks down DNA, it produces a distinctive collection of fragments that can be separated by electrophoresis and then examined.

Ques. PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism are the techniques for

a) Study of enzymes

b) Genetic fingerprinting

c) Genetic transformation

d) DNA sequencing

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Ans: b) Genetic fingerprinting

Explanation: Genes are brief DNA sequences that make up a DNA strand and are in charge of an individual's unique traits. By amplifying the DNA molecules in a tiny sample using the PCR method, a large quantity of DNA sequence for the test can be obtained. Restriction fragment length polymorphism follows this (RFLP). By detecting a certain sequence pattern to the Variable Number Tandem Repeats, which become that individual's DNA profile, RFLP analysis is utilized to identify the repeated sequences. The foundation for genetic fingerprinting is this.

Ques. The plasmid

a) Is a component of the cell wall of bacteria

b) Helps in respiration

c) Is the genetic part in addition to DNA in microorganisms

d) Genes found inside the nucleus

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Ans: c) Is the genetic part in addition to DNA in microorganisms

Explanation: Plasmids are small self-replicating extrachromosomal non-essential genetic components found in bacteria. A ring of double-stranded DNA that is circularly supercoiled surrounds each plastic. They can't genes for cellular non-essential activities and for replication. Dispensable autonomous elements or minichromosomes are other names for them.

Ques. Which of the following methods allowed for the genetic engineering of living things?

a) Recombinant DNA techniques

b) X-ray diffraction

c) Hybridization

d) Heavier isotope labeling 

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Ans: a) Recombinant DNA techniques

Explanation: Recombinant DNA technology, commonly known as genetic engineering, is the process of changing a living organism's genes to create a genetically modified organism (GMO) with a different genotype. You can change a gene's expression so that it is translated more frequently or not at all, transfer a foreign gene from one species into another to create a transgenic organism, or modify an existing gene to change the protein it produces.

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Ques. The vector's copy number of the linked DNA is controlled by a sequence known as

a) Palindromic sequence

b) Ori site

c) Recognition site

d) Selectable marker

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Ans: b) Ori site

Explanation: Ori, which stands for "Origin of Replication," is a sequence that initiates replication. DNA replication begins in the ori, enabling plasmids to reproduce in order to survive inside cells. Even though their replicons frequently differ from those utilized to replicate the host's chromosomal DNA, plasmids utilize the host's machinery to make extra copies.

DNA replication

DNA replication

Ques. The Southern hybridization method used in chromosomal DNA analysis does not use

a) Blotting

b) Autoradiography

c) Electrophoresis

d) PCR

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Ans: d) PCR

Explanation: 

The following are the steps in southern hybridization:

  • After being broken down by a restriction enzyme and sorted by electrophoresis, DNA or another genetic source. By being incubated with NaOH, the DNA gets denatured into single strands.
  • A membrane, which is a piece of specialized blotting paper, receives the DNA transfer. The DNA fragments continue to separate in the same manner as on the gel (blotting).
  • The blot is treated with many copies of a single-stranded DNA probe. In order to bind and create a ds DNA molecule, this probe will generate base pairs with its matching DNA sequence. It is radioactive, the probe.
  • When the probe is subjected to X-ray film, its location is made clear (autoradiography).

Hence It doesn't use PCR (polymerase chain reaction).

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)

Ques. Genetic engineering makes use of antibiotics

a) As selectable markers

b) To select healthy vectors 

c) As sequences from where replication starts

d) To keep the cultures free of infection

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Ans: a) As selectable markers

Explanation: After introducing the insert DNA among the group of wild-type cells in genetic engineering, selectable markers enable us to identify the cells that have lost the antibiotic genes linked to a particular antibiotic resistance.

Ques. EcoRI is the name of a restriction endonuclease. What does the "co" in the acronym mean?

a) Coenzyme

b) coli

c) Colon

d) Coelom

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Ans: b) coli

Explanation: An enzyme called a restriction endonuclease uses specific recognition nucleotide sequences to break DNA at or close to restriction sites.The source and sequence number of manufacture, as well as the names of the labs where it was developed, are all used to derive the name of the restriction enzyme.In EcoRI, the letter "co" stands for "coli" (species of bacteria, from where it is obtained).

Ques. The possibility of genetic engineering exists because

a) The phenomenon of transduction in bacteria is widely understood.

b) We can cut DNA at specific sites by endonucleases like DNase I

c) We can see DNA by electron microscope 

d) In vitro usage of restriction endonucleases isolated from bacteria

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Ans: d) In vitro usage of restriction endonucleases isolated from bacteria

Explanation: Genetic modification is another name for genetic engineering. The use of biotechnology tools to alter any organism's genome constitutes this strategy. Restriction endonucleases are DNases that target particular DNA locations or sequences. Recognition sequences for restriction sites are the sequences that restriction endonucleases or restriction enzymes (RE) can recognise. 

The genetic engineering field heavily relies on these restriction enzymes.


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CBSE CLASS XII Related Questions

  • 1.
    Work out the crosses between:
    Normal female and Haemophilic male
    Carrier female and Normal male
    (III) Carrier female and Haemophilic male
    Write the conclusions you draw from these crosses. Comment on the type of inheritance of the disease.
    (Use: $X$ - Normal, $X^h$ - Haemophilic)


      • 2.
        Suggest how a virus-free healthy plant can be obtained from a diseased sugarcane plant.


          • 3.
            Draw a neat diagram of a maize grain showing the internal structure and label any five parts.


              • 4.
                Oogenesis is a discontinuous process that begins before birth and is completed after puberty.
                Trace the development of a gamete mother cell till its release from the ovary during ovulation.
                Name the two pituitary hormones that play an important role in the process.


                  • 5.
                    "Early and accurate diagnosis of diseases is vital in medical technology."
                    Name the conventional methods of diagnosis and their disadvantages.
                    Which three diagnostic techniques have been developed through Biotechnology ? Explain how each one helps in detecting diseases.


                      • 6.
                        Draw a labelled two-celled structure of male gametophyte of an angiosperm.
                        Name the three layers that surround the cytoplasm of a male gametophyte starting from innermost to outermost layer.
                        (iii) Which organic material makes the outermost layer? Mention its advantage.
                        (iv) Why is the outermost layer of male gametophyte not continuous ?

                          CBSE CLASS XII Previous Year Papers

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