Biotechnology and its Applications for NEET UG
Biotechnology is already used in farms, hospitals and courts. This chapter covers GM crops like Bt cotton, RNA interference, medical biotech like insulin and gene therapy, and the ethical questions they raise.
BiologyClass 1273 MCQs2 lessons13 flashcards4 memory tricks
Practise Biotechnology and its Applications free
What you'll learn
- Biotechnology in agriculture
Explain how Bt cotton and RNAi make plants pest-resistant. - Biotechnology in medicine and ethics
Describe genetically engineered insulin, gene therapy, molecular diagnosis and the ethics of biotech.
Memory tricks
Bacillus thuringiensis makes an inactive Cry protoxin that is activated in the insect's alkaline gut. cryIAc and cryIIAb control cotton bollworms; cryIAb controls the corn borer.
Biopiracy is the use of bioresources or traditional knowledge without permission or fair payment. India challenged foreign patents on basmati rice, turmeric and neem.
Eli Lilly (1983) made the A and B chains separately in E. coli and joined them by disulphide bonds. No C-peptide needs removing.
Double-stranded RNA silences a specific mRNA. It's used to protect tobacco from the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita.
Try 3 NEET-style questions
Q1. In the RNAi strategy against nematodes, nematode-specific genes were introduced into the host plant using
- Bt toxin
- bacteriophages
- yeast cells
- Agrobacterium vectors
Show answer
Answer: (4) Agrobacterium vectors
Using Agrobacterium vectors, nematode-specific genes were introduced into the host plant, producing sense and antisense RNA.
Q2. Bt toxins are specific to insects belonging to groups such as
- mammals
- birds
- lepidopterans (tobacco budworm, armyworm), coleopterans (beetles) and dipterans (flies, mosquitoes)
- fishes
Show answer
Answer: (3) lepidopterans (tobacco budworm, armyworm), coleopterans (beetles) and dipterans (flies, mosquitoes)
Specific Bt toxins act on lepidopterans, coleopterans and dipterans; they are not toxic to humans and other mammals.
Q3. Golden rice is a genetically modified rice enriched in
- vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
- vitamin D (calciferol)
- vitamin A (β-carotene)
- vitamin K (phylloquinone)
Show answer
Answer: (3) vitamin A (β-carotene)
Golden rice is GM rice enriched in vitamin A (as β-carotene), which gives it a golden colour.
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