Tag: commercial studies

Pseudomonas putida is a Gram-negative, rod shaped, aerobic, chemoheterotrophic bacterium. Being chemoheterotrophic, they use organic compounds as source of their energy. This bacterium can break down any of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Most of the organic toxins are aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Genetically engineered marine-dweller Pseudomonas putida use hydrocarbons as fuel and break down the ring structures of the hydrocarbons in oil spill in presence of enzymes and seawater oxygen and emit carbon dioxide. 

Antibiotic production is major industrial application of microbes. Penicillin (the first antibiotic discovered) was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, while working on Staphylococcus bacteria, that he observed growing in one of his unwashed petri cultures. However, its full potential as effective antibiotic was established much later by Ernest Chain and Howard Florey who got the noble prize in 1945 for this discovery.

Use of microbes or the living cells in industry and technology to manufacture certain food,drugs(medicines) and chemicals etc is known as biotechnology.

Genetic engineering, also called as genetic modification, is the direct manipulation of an organism's genome using biotechnology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including the transfer of genes within and across species boundaries to produce improved or novel organisms. 

Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use" (UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Art. 2). New tools and products developed by biotechnologists are useful in research, agriculture, industry and the clinic. Thus, the correct answer is option C.

Biotechnology involves manipulation of 1) structure and action of molecules and 2) genes for numerous purposes ranging from producing drugs(like insulin) from bacteria, to introduce beneficial genes in plants and animals to obtain desired chemical substances in their products.

In 1952, Selman Abraham Waksman was awarded the Nobel prize in physiology or medicine in recognition for his discovery of streptomycin, the first antibiotic active against tuberculosis

White (also called gray) biotechnology involves industrial processes such as the production of new chemicals or the development of new fuels for vehicles, the use of cells, natural organisms and bio-organic compounds to synthesize materials, instead of petrochemicals or substitution of enzymes for caustic reagents.

Penicillin made a difference during the first half of the 20th century. Penicillin helped reduce the number of deaths and amputations of troops during World War II. According to records, there were only 400 million units of penicillin available during the first five months of 1943.