Biology

Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

2,033 Questions

Genetic engineering and biotechnology involve modifying organism DNA to develop transgenic crops, medical treatments, and industrial solutions. This field covers essential techniques like hybridoma technology, molecular markers, and gene transfer in eukaryotic cells. These biology topics are essential for aspirants preparing for various competitive examinations.

Genetic engineering techniquesTransgenic organismsIndustrial biotechnologyGMOs and bioremediation

Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Questions

Multiple choice

The terminator gene technology causes

  1. failure of setting of genes after one generation

  2. breakage of seed dormancy

  3. early flowering of plants

  4. None of the above

  5. -
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Terminator technology is the genetic modification of plants to make them produce sterile seeds. These seeds are also known as suicide seeds.

Multiple choice

Totipotency refers to the

  1. capability of organisms to regenerate their lost parts

  2. capability of somatic cells to produce a complete organism

  3. introduction of foreign genes into the cells of DNA

  4. technique of growing immature embryos

  5. -
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Totipotency is the genetic potential of a plant cell to produce the entire plant.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

  1. Gray biotechnology is related to industrial process.

  2. Retrovirus is used as vector for cloning genes.

  3. Agarose is used in gel electrophoresis.

  4. Synthesis of DNA from mRNA involves transaminase enzyme.

  5. Plasmid and plasmodium are used as vector in genetic engineering.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

In genetic engineering, a DNA segment of interest is transferred to the host cell through a vector, i.e. plasmid, bacteriophase, etc. Plasmodium is a genus of apicomplexan parasites. Infection by these organisms is known as malaria disease. 

Multiple choice

Recombinant DNA technology in medicine is not used

  1. in the formation of insulin for diabetic patients

  2. in the formation of factor VIII for males in the treatment of Anaemia

  3. in the formation of factor IX for males and females in the treatment of haemophilia B

  4. in the formation of Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)

  5. in the formation of tissue plasminogen activator (TPA)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Recombinant DNA technology is used in the formation of factor VIII for males suffering from haemophilia A. Erythropoietin (EPO) is formed by using rDNA technology for treating Anaemia.

Multiple choice

Which of the following terminologies is not correctly defined?

  1. Autoantigens: Representation of an individual’s own proteins together with other chemicals, which evidently elicit adequate immune responses.

  2. Alleles: Two or more alternative forms of a gene.

  3. Amniocentesis: pairing of complementary DNA or RNA sequences, via hydrogen bonding to form a double-stranded polynucleotide.

  4. Bt crop: Crops that contain genes for Bt toxin.

  5. Imprinting: Suppression or silencing of genes depending on the parent from which they are received.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Amniocentesis is a procedure in which a small amount of amniotic fluid (the fluid surrounding a baby in the womb) is drawn out using a needle and syringe. Because amniotic fluid contains cells from the baby, it can be used to test for chromosomal and genetic disorders, as well as certain birth defects. The pairing of complementary DNA or RNA sequences, via hydrogen bonding to form a double-stranded polynucleotide is called as anneal.

Multiple choice

A genetically engineered form of brinjal (known as Bt-brinjal) has been developed. Its objective is to

  1. make it pest-resistant

  2. improve its taste and nutritive qualities

  3. make it drought-reistant

  4. make its shelf-life longer
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Bt-brinjal is a suite of transgenic brinjals (also known as an eggplant or aubergine) created by inserting a crystal gene (Cry1Ac) from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into the genome of various brinjal cultivars. The Bt-brinjal has been developed to give resistance against lepidopteron insects.

Multiple choice

Who developed hybridoma technology?

A hybridoma is a hybrid cell obtained by fusing a B-lymphocyte with usually a tumour cell of the antibody forming system or of B-lymphocyte.The hybrid cells thus produced posses the ability to produce antibodies due to the B-lymphocyte genoome and the capacity for  indefinite growth in vitro due to the tumour (myeloma) cell involved in the fusion.Therefore, specific hybridomas are either cultured in vitro or passaged through mouse peritoneal cavity to obtain monoclonal antibodies.This is called hybridoma technology.

  1. Daniel Nathans and Kathleen Danna

  2. Werner Arber and Matthew Meselson

  3. Issacs and Lindmann

  4. Hamilton O. Smith and Thomas Kelly

  5. G.Kohler and C. Milstein
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

They developed hybridoma technology.

Multiple choice

A scientist wants to develop a new paddy variety through genetic engineering. This variety has the capacity to withstand cold temperature.

How can the scientist develop this variety?

  1. Increasing the length of fatty acid chain

  2. Eliminate all steroids

  3. Increase frequency of unsaturated fatty acid

  4. Decrease frequency of unsaturated fatty acid
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Increasing unsaturated fatty acid causes membrane motility/fluidity of cells. As a result, the cells will not freeze even in very cold temperature.

Multiple choice

A scientist wants to develop a new paddy variety through genetic engineering. This variety has the capacity to withstand cold temperature.

What should the scientist do to make that the same plant withstand warm temperature?

  1. Increase the length of fatty acid chain

  2. Eliminate all the steroids

  3. Increase the frequency of unsaturated fatty acid

  4. Cannot be determined
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The exact increasing temperature is not stated here. As paddy is mostly cultured in equator region, so it can be said that paddy can easily withstand increasing as well as warm temperature. If the particular increasing range is not stated, the fate experimental plan cannot be determined.

Multiple choice

Match the gene of interest for various aspects of crop improvement.

 
Gene insert Aspects of crop improvement
P. bar 1. Tolerance to heavy metals
Q. vip3A 2. Nutritional improvement with increased vitamin A
R. /3-Icy 3. Insect resistance
S. gsh-Il 4. Herbicide resistance
5. Delayed ripening
6. Resistance to fungal infection

  1. P - 4, Q - 3, R - 5, S - 6

  2. P - 4, Q - 3, R - 2, S - 1

  3. P - 2, Q - 4, R - 5, S - 3

  4. P - 4, Q - 2, R - 6, S - 1
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

bar gene confers herbicide resistance (4). vip3A is for insect resistance (3). The gene for vitamin A (often phytoene synthase) is not listed correctly as R. gsh-II is for heavy metal tolerance (1). The provided match A is the most logical fit based on standard biotechnology knowledge.

Multiple choice

What is a gene?

  1. A type of organ in the body

  2. a South American fruit

  3. one leg from a pair of blue pants

  4. a small section of DNA
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

A gene is a specific sequence of nucleotides in DNA that acts as a unit of heredity, providing instructions for building proteins.

Multiple choice botany plant breeding biotechnology for improved food quality plant breeding for food production

Select the correct statement regarding an improved variety of transgenic basmati rice. i.e. golden rice.

  1. It does not require the use of chemical fertilisers

  2. It is completely resistant to all insect pests and diseases

  3. It gives high yields but not characteristic aroma

  4. It gives high yields and rich in vitamin A
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Rice is a staple food in many countries, particularly in Asia, but does not contain vitamin A or its immediate precursors. By inserting two genes from Daffodil and one gene from a bacterial species into rice plants, Swiss researchers have produce rice capable of synthesizing β-carotene, the precursor of vitamin A. Vitamin A is required by all individuals as it is present in retina of eyes. Deficiency of vitamin A causes night blindness and skin disorders. This rice is called 'Golden rice' because of the yellow colour of rice grains due to the presence of β-carotene.

So, the correct answer is 'It gives high yields and rich in vitamin A'.

Multiple choice botany biotechnology: principles and processes downstream processing biotechnology biotechnology and its application

Bacteria genetically engineered to express a gene from a plant will

  1. Synthesise a protein with the same sequence of amino acids as in the plant and, therefore, the protein will have the same structure and function as in the plant.

  2. Synthesis a protein with essentially the same sequence of amino acids as in the plant with differences relating to different colon wobble rules between prokaryotes and eukaryotes

  3. Not be able to synthesise a protein due to the presence of exon splicing sequences in the DNA sequence from the plant

  4. Not be able to synthesise a protein because transaction is coupled with transaction and posttranscriptional processing does not occur in it.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

When bacteria (a prokaryote) is engineered to express a gene from a plant (an eukaryote), a slightly  different approach is used. Eukaryotic genes have both exons and Introns which are transcribed into the primary transcript. Primary transcript is then processed by splicing (removal of introns and joining of exons), capping and tailling to produce functional mRNAs. This functional mRNA is then expressed into proteins. Prokaryotes lack such machinery, hence expression of an eukaryotic DNA becomes difficult in prokaryotic cells. Therefore, scientists prepare cDNA from the functional nRNA (without introns) using reverse transcriptase. This DNA is incorporated into bacteria (or another prokaryotic cell) for expression of plant gene. Such foreign gene synthesises a protein with the same sequence of amino acids as in the plant, and therefore the proteins have the same structure and function as in the plant.

So, the correct answer is 'Synthesise a protein with the same sequence of amino acids as in the plant and, therefore, the protein will have the same structure and function as in the plant.'

Multiple choice botany biotechnology: principles and processes downstream processing biotechnology biotechnology and its application

Animals that have their DNA manipulated to process and express a foreign gene are called

  1. Transgenic animals

  2. Somatic hybrids

  3. Somaclones

  4. Super animals
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The animals which carry foreign genes are called transgenic animals. The foreign genes inserted into the genome of the animal using recombinant DNA technology are called transgenes.