🌸Chapter 10
Biotechnology: Biotechnology & Its Applications
(Summary Notes)
1. Definition
Biotechnology:
The use of living organisms, cells, or biological systems to develop products,
processes, or technologies for human benefit.
Scope:
Medicine, agriculture, industry, environment, research.
Keywords: Microbes, GMOs, recombinant DNA, tissue culture,
fermentation, gene therapy.
2. Types of Biotechnology
|
Type |
Focus |
Examples |
|
Red |
Medicine |
Insulin, vaccines, gene therapy |
|
Green |
Agriculture |
Bt cotton, Golden Rice, biofertilizers |
|
White |
Industry |
Biofuels, enzymes, bioplastics |
|
Blue |
Marine |
Marine drugs, algae-based products |
NCERT Keywords: Red, Green, White, Blue biotechnology
3. Microbial Biotechnology
Applications:
- Industrial products: Alcohol, citric acid,
antibiotics
- Food industry: Yogurt, cheese (lactic acid
bacteria)
- Biofertilizers: Rhizobium, Azospirillum,
Azotobacter
- Bioremediation: Pseudomonas degrades
oil/pesticides
- Biofuels & biogas: Methane from organic waste
Diagram Idea: Fermentation pathway → Substrate → Microbes → Product
(e.g., ethanol, citric acid)
Important Terms: Fermentation, biogas, SCP (Single-Cell Protein),
probiotics, microbial leaching
4. Recombinant DNA Technology
Steps:
1.
Gene
isolation
2.
Insertion
into vector (plasmid) using restriction enzymes + DNA ligase
3.
Transformation
into host
4.
Screening
& selection
5.
Expression
of desired protein
Examples: Human insulin, growth hormone, GM crops
Diagram:
Gene of interest → Restriction
enzyme → Vector → DNA ligase → Recombinant DNA → Host → Protein product
Key Terms: Restriction enzyme, DNA ligase, plasmid, vector,
transformation, screening, PCR, gene cloning
5. Gene Therapy
Definition: Introduction of functional genes to treat genetic
disorders.
Applications:
- SCID, Hemophilia, Cystic
Fibrosis
- Replacement of defective genes
Key Terms: Retroviral vector, somatic gene therapy, germline gene
therapy
6. Stem Cells
|
Type |
Source |
Potency |
Applications |
|
Embryonic |
Blastocyst |
Pluripotent |
Tissue/organs regeneration |
|
Adult |
Bone marrow |
Multipotent |
Blood disorders, repair |
|
iPSCs |
Reprogrammed somatic cells |
Pluripotent |
Regenerative medicine |
Important Terms: Totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent, somaclones
7. Plant Biotechnology
Techniques:
- Tissue culture: Growing plant cells/tissues in
vitro
- Micropropagation: Mass production of genetically
identical plants
- Callus formation: Undifferentiated cell mass
used for regeneration
- Somatic hybridization: Fusion of somatic cells from
different plants
- GM crops: Bt cotton, Golden Rice
Plant Hormones in Culture:
- Auxins → Root formation
- Cytokinins → Shoot formation
Hardening: Gradual acclimatization to natural conditions before field
transfer
Diagram Idea: Tissue culture → Callus → Shoot & Root induction →
Plantlet → Hardening → Field planting
8. Important Definitions &
Keywords
- GMO: Organism with artificially
inserted gene
- Plasmid: Circular DNA vector in
bacteria
- Recombinant DNA: DNA formed by joining
fragments from different sources
- PCR: Amplification of specific DNA
sequences
- Fermentation: Microbial conversion of
substrates into products
- Probiotics: Beneficial microbes in food
- Bioremediation: Using microbes to clean
pollutants
- Somaclones: Genetically identical plants
from tissue culture
- Golden Rice: GM rice producing
beta-carotene
9. Quick Points for NEET/Boards
- Bt cotton → insect resistance
- Golden Rice → Vitamin A
- Insulin → produced by E.
coli via rDNA
- Penicillin → Penicillium
- Biogas → anaerobic digestion,
methane-rich
- Bioremediation → environmental
cleanup
- PCR → DNA amplification, for
diagnosis and cloning
10. Diagrams to Draw
1.
Recombinant
DNA technology:
Gene → Vector → Host → Protein
2.
Fermentation
process: Substrate
→ Microbe → Product
3.
Plant
tissue culture:
Explant → Callus → Shoot/Root → Plantlet → Hardening
4.
Stem
cell types and differentiation: Totipotent → Pluripotent → Multipotent
