Biotechnology Homework
Read the passage below and answer the questions which are based on it.
USES OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
(adapted from “Baby bio is out of the playpen”, an article by Ian Williams in The Sunday Times.)
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Examples of biotechnology have existed for thousands of years as in the use of
organisms in brewing and baking. Biotechnology became important in other ways,
however, when it became possible to move lengths of DNA from one organism to
another. The transplanted length of DNA can be joined to the DNA of a host cell.
This hybrid DNA is called recombinant DNA. The discovery of methods of
producing recombinant DNA ranks with the invention of silicon chips for
information technology. Just as the microchip designer decides what his piece of
silicon will do, so the molecular biologist uses snips of DNA to “programme” living
organisms.
Bacteria are being engineered to produce pure drugs that are of great therapeutic
value, and previously were expensive or difficult to isolate. One example of this is
production of the protein, insulin, by recombinant DNA techniques. Previously
insulin was prepared from the pancreases of slaughtered cattle and pigs. The gene
that controls the production of insulin can be inserted into the bacterium,
Escherichia coli. This new Escherichia coli is hardy and easy to grow, producing a
new generation of insulin-excreting bacteria about every half hour. The insulin is
extracted from the bacterial culture. Methods are also being developed to produce
hormones to combat growth retardation and to speed up tissue growth in humans.
New and improved vaccines will be developed both because of the ability to move
genetic material around, and because more is being learned about viruses and the
molecules that generate antibodies in an organism. Work is now underway to
remake to virus that is contained in the vaccine. The key lies in cutting out
sections of DNA of the virus cell that are most dangerous, yet leaving its basic
structure so that it provokes the immune system into action in the same way as if
the whole virus was there. This makes vaccinations safer and also opens up the
possibility for new vaccines.
Answer the following questions about the passage.
1. What is meant be biotechnology (lines 1 and 2)
2. Which micro-organisms are using in the traditional processes of biotechnology? (line 2)
3. Name a biological process, other than those mentioned in the passage, which makes
use of biotechnology. (you may need to research this)
4. What is the significance of the use of the work “programme” to describe the role of
recombinant DNA (line 8)?
5. In addition to reducing expense, state two advantages, mentioned in the passage, of
producing insulin by recombinant DNA techniques.
6. What is the role of insulin in the body?
7. How does the structure of gene control the production of chemical substances such as
insulin (lines 13-15)? (use your unit 1 knowledge)
8. In recombinant DNA work, lengths of DAN from other organisms are often inserted
into bacteria such as Escherichia coli (lines 13-17)
Give two reasons why bacteria are chosen as the host organism?
9. Give an example of how a patient might benefit from the speeding up of tissue growth
(line 18).
10. Why are viruses which are treated as describe in the passage, safer to use and yet
suitable for vaccination (lines 22-25)?
11. The author uses “cutting out” (line 22) and “snips” (line 8) to describe removal of DNA
from a strand of DNA. Which type of enzyme would be used to achieve removal?
12. Name the enzyme used to seal the new gene into the host DNA?
13. How do you know if the host cell has accepted the foreign DNA into the host DNA?