Biotechnology and its Applications quiz

Bt toxin is produced by:

The cry genes cryIAc and cryIIAb control:

The Bt protoxin becomes active in the insect gut because of:

The nematode Meloidogyne incognita infects the roots of:

Human insulin was first commercially produced using recombinant DNA by:

In mature insulin, the C peptide is:

The first clinical gene therapy was given for deficiency of:

Rosie, the first transgenic cow, produced milk enriched with human:

The Indian body that decides on the validity of GM research and the safety of introducing GM organisms for public services is:

ELISA is based on the principle of:

How does RNA interference silence a specific gene? (2 marks)

Why is insulin obtained from animals like cattle and pigs sometimes not preferred for diabetic patients? (2 marks)

State two uses of transgenic animals in the study of normal physiology and disease. (2 marks)

Why are transgenic mice used for testing the safety of polio vaccine? (2 marks)

Name two molecular diagnostic techniques and state one advantage of each over conventional methods. (2 marks)

What is alpha-1-antitrypsin? Which disease is it used to treat? (2 marks)

Explain how GM crops can reduce post-harvest losses and enhance nutritional value, with one example. (2 marks)

Why is the cry protein toxic only to specific insect groups? (2 marks)

What are the two sources of the dsRNA used in RNA interference in eukaryotes? (2 marks)

State two ethical concerns about genetic modification of organisms. (2 marks)

The B chain of insulin has 30 amino acids. Calculate the number of codons and nucleotides needed to code for it, including one stop codon. If the A chain has 21 amino acids, calculate the total number of amino acids in mature insulin. (3 marks)

A sample suspected of carrying a pathogen contains only 2 copies of the target DNA. How many PCR cycles are needed to obtain at least 1,000 copies, assuming perfect doubling? Show working. (3 marks)

A Bt cotton field produced 25 quintals per hectare compared with 18 quintals per hectare from a non-Bt field damaged by bollworms. Calculate the percentage increase in yield. State one reason for this increase. (3 marks)

Rosie's milk contained 2.4 g/L of human alpha-lactalbumin. A baby needs about 1.2 g of this protein per day. How many litres of this milk would meet the requirement for one week? (3 marks)

India is estimated to have about 2,00,000 varieties of rice and 27 documented varieties of basmati. If an exporter's catalogue lists 9 of the 27 basmati varieties, calculate the percentage listed. Explain why traditional varieties must be documented. (3 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. A farmer in Maharashtra switched to Bt cotton after losing most of his crop to bollworms. He noticed that he needed far fewer insecticide sprays, but a scientist warned him that he must also plant a refuge of non-Bt cotton around his field. (i) How does Bt cotton protect itself from bollworms? (ii) Why is a refuge of non-Bt cotton recommended? (iii) State two benefits of Bt cotton to the farmer and the environment. (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. A biotech firm wanted to protect tobacco crops from root-knot nematodes. Scientists used Agrobacterium vectors to introduce nematode-specific genes into the host plant so that both sense and anti-sense RNA were produced in the plant cells. (i) Name the technique used. (ii) How do the sense and anti-sense RNAs protect the plant? (iii) Why is the parasite unable to survive in the transgenic host? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. A diabetic patient in 1975 was allergic to the cattle insulin he used. Today his grandson uses human insulin produced in bacteria. Insulin is produced in the human pancreas as a prohormone that needs processing. (i) What was the reason for the allergy? (ii) What is the prohormone and how is it processed? (iii) How did Eli Lilly overcome the difficulty of processing proinsulin? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. A child was born with severe combined immunodeficiency caused by a missing enzyme. Doctors removed her lymphocytes, grew them in culture, introduced a functional gene using a retroviral vector and returned them to her body. She needed periodic infusions. (i) Name the enzyme deficiency. (ii) Why were periodic infusions needed? (iii) Suggest how a permanent cure could be achieved. (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. Neem, turmeric and basmati rice are traditional Indian resources. Some foreign companies tried to obtain patents on products derived from them without sharing benefits with local communities. (i) What is this practice called? (ii) Why are developing countries especially vulnerable to it? (iii) State one legal step India has taken to prevent it. (5 marks)

Explain the production of Bt cotton and the mechanism by which Bt toxin kills insects. Draw a labelled flowchart from protoxin in the plant to the death of the insect. (6 marks)

Describe how RNA interference is used to produce pest-resistant plants. Draw a labelled diagram showing the formation of dsRNA and silencing of the target mRNA. (6 marks)

Describe the production of genetically engineered human insulin. Draw labelled diagrams of proinsulin and mature insulin, and explain why the recombinant method is better than extraction from animals. (6 marks)

Explain gene therapy with reference to ADA deficiency. Draw a flowchart showing the steps of the procedure and compare it with enzyme replacement therapy and bone marrow transplantation. (6 marks)

What are transgenic animals? Explain five purposes for which they are produced, giving examples. Draw a flowchart showing the steps in producing a transgenic animal. (6 marks)