Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

Certain antibiotics are produced by genetic engineered microorganisms.

Hybrid cells formed by fusion of B-cells and myeloma cells to produce monoclonal antibodies.

This technology was developed by Kohler and Milestein.

Plasmid is a cloning vehicle, which can carry foreign DNA with it.

Agrobacterium is well known for its ability to transfer DNA between itself and plants.

Genetically modified bacteria are commonly used for the production of human insulin.

Flavr Savr Tomato was the first genetically modified food product approved for human consumption. It was developed using antisense RNA technology to delay ripening by suppressing the production of polygalacturonase, an enzyme that softens fruit. This technology involves inserting a reverse copy of the gene to block its own expression, unlike gene therapy or recombinant DNA techniques which add or modify genes.

Microarray gene chips can simultaneously analyze expression patterns of thousands of genes, making them useful for screening for mutations leading to cancer (by detecting characteristic expression changes) and identifying carriers of genetic diseases (by profiling disease-associated expression signatures). They cannot identify behavioral traits, which are complex and multifactorial.

Ti (Tumor-inducing) plasmid from Agrobacterium tumefaciens is the most widely used vector for plant genetic engineering. It naturally contains T-DNA that can be transferred into plant genomes and has been modified into a disarmed vector system. The other plasmids (pBR322, pUC18) are E. coli cloning vectors, and ECOR1 is a restriction enzyme.

Ti plasmid from Agrobacterium tumefaciens is the preferred method for introducing genes into dicot plants because Agrobacterium naturally infects dicots. The T-DNA region of the Ti plasmid integrates into the plant genome. Electroporation, particle acceleration (gene gun), and microinjection are physical methods typically used for monocots which are recalcitrant to Agrobacterium infection.

All three statements are true: (A) Plant genomics initially lagged behind animal/microorganism efforts due to larger genome sizes, (B) Researchers can use partial genomic information through ESTs, marker genes, and comparative genomics, and (C) Potato genome sequencing was an active research effort. Since all individual statements are correct, 'All of the above' is the right answer.

Electroporation is a means of transfecting a cell by introducing a gene.

Genes coated with gold microparticles can be introduced into cells by firing them at high speeds.

The government has yet to take a decision on the committee’s recommendations. If approved by the government, it will become the first GM food crop in India.

Herbicide resistant GM crops will remain unaffected to the herbicide used, therefore the weeds will be killed.