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Everything you need to know about microbial biotechnology. Some of the most frequently asked questions are as follows:-
Q.1. What are Bence – Jones proteins?
Ans: These are free monoclonal antibody light chains found in the urine of patients with multiple myeloma.
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Q.2. Define stem cells.
Ans: These are immature or precursor cells from which mature cells arise, typically the cells of the bone marrow which are the progenitors of the T cells and B-cells of the immune systems.
Q.3. Give a chronological account of new therapeutic products of biotechnology in the form of enzymes and proteins.
Ans: Some of the novel therapeutic products of biotechnology are tabulated below in Table 20.1 in chronological order of development.
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Table 20.1 A chronological account of production of new therapeutic products like therapeutic enzymes and other proteins from biotechnology (After Maulik and Patel, 1997)
Q.4. What is Southern blotting? Define.
Ans: It is a procedure for the identification of DNA by transmitting a fragment isolated on an agarose gel to a nitrocellulose filter where it can be hybridized with a complimentary ‘probe’ sequence. The technique was perfected by professor E.M. Southern in 1975.
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Q.5. Define Northern blotting.
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Ans: It is a technique to identify RNA molecules by hybridization which is analogous to Southern blotting.
Q.6. What is Western blotting?
Ans: It is a technique by which proteins are separated and immobilized on a paper sheet also called paper towels and then analyzed, generally by means of a labeled antibody.
Q.7. Have ‘eastern’ transfers been reported?
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Ans: No, so far no one has come with ‘eastern’ transfers. So far this obscure term remains frolic and frisky.
Q.8. What is a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)?
Ans: A cloning vector which uses the origin of replication of F plasmid. It can take inserts of 100 – 300 kb and is believed to be less prone to cloning artefacts, such as chimeric inserts or rearrangements, upon propagation within the host.
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Q.9. What is yeast artificial chromosome (YAC)?
Ans: A cloning vector using a yeast host cell, can accept very large inserts of DNA (~ 1 Mb).
Q.10. What is zoo blotting?
Ans: It is Southern blotting where human DNA is used to hybridise DNA from a range of other mammals.
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Q.11. What is X-chromosome inactivation?
Ans: It is clonal inactivation of one of the X-chromosomes in females during development.
