Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Lecture Review

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering biotechnology definitions, food and medicine production using microorganisms, genetic engineering techniques, and their ecological impacts.

Biotechnology

The application of biological organisms, systems, or processes to manufacturing and service industries.

Fermentation

The process of anaerobic respiration used by microorganisms like yeast to produce products such as Carbon dioxide for bread making or Ethanol for alcohol production.

Homogenization

The process of breaking up fat droplets in milk and preventing them from separating out.

Pasteurization

A heat treatment process used on milk to eliminate pathogens and prepare it for fermentation by a starter culture of bacteria.

Lactic Acid

The substance produced when bacteria act on the milk sugar, lactose, during the production of madila.

Casein

The milk protein that is coagulated by lactic acid or enzymes to produce a thick consistency in madila and cheese.

Rennet

A mixture of enzymes containing chymosin, used to coagulate milk casein into semi-solid curds for cheese making.

Chymosin

An enzyme obtained from calves' stomachs or genetically engineered yeast that coagulates milk casein into curds.

Single Cell Protein (SCP)

High-protein food, such as mycoprotein, produced from microorganisms in large fermenters under sterile conditions.

Mycoprotein

A form of food protein produced from microorganisms that is low in cholesterol and can be grown rapidly on cheap low-grade food sources.

Antibiotic

A chemical that kills bacteria without harming human body cells, such as penicillin produced by the mould fungus Penicillium.

Vaccine

A suspension of dead or weakened pathogens used to induce immunity by activating the immune system to make appropriate antibodies.

Biogas

A fuel mixture consisting primarily of methane and carbon dioxide produced by the anaerobic fermentation of organic waste by methanogenic bacteria.

Methanogenic Bacteria

Microorganisms that require anaerobic conditions (oxygen is toxic to them) to produce methane from organic waste.

Gene Therapy

The transfer of healthy human genes into a person's cells containing mutant alleles to treat diseases like haemophilia or cystic fibrosis.

Crop Resistant Plant

A plant that has received transferred genes to develop characteristics such as resistance to pests, herbicides, or specific environmental conditions.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens

A bacterium used as a vector in genetic engineering to introduce desirable genes into plants via a Ti plasmid.

Insecticidal Crystal Protein (ICP)

A protein produced by genetically modified crops that affects the guts of caterpillars, leading to their death.

Nif Genes

A group of 12 genes that control the enzymes responsible for the conversion of nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into a form plants can use.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV)

A harmless virus often used as a vector in gene therapy to deliver healthy copies of genes into a patient's bloodstream.

Factor VIII

A blood-clotting protein that is deficient in Haemophilia A; its gene can be delivered to liver cells via gene therapy.

Nitrifying Bacteria

Bacteria in wastewater treatment that convert ammonia to nitrites and then to nitrates.

Denitrifying Bacteria

Bacteria that convert nitrates to nitrogen gas under anaerobic conditions to prevent nutrient pollution.

Activated Sludge System

A biological wastewater treatment process using aerobic bacteria and fungi, supported by air jets, to decompose organic matter.

Restriction Enzyme

An enzyme used in genetic engineering to 'cut' specific genes from DNA or to open bacterial plasmids, often leaving 'sticky ends.'

Ligase

The enzyme used to splice a desirable gene into a vector, such as a bacterial plasmid, to create recombinant DNA.

Sticky Ends

The complementary ends of DNA fragments and opened plasmids that allows them to be joined together by ligase.

Recombinant DNA

DNA that is formed by combining genetic material from two different sources, such as a human insulin gene and a bacterial plasmid.

Bioenzyme Washing Powders

Detergents containing enzymes like protease, lipase, and carbohydrases to remove biological stains like blood or grass.

Monoculture

The widespread adoption of a few genetically modified crop varieties which can reduce genetic diversity in agriculture.

Gene Flow

The spread of genes from genetically modified crops to wild relatives, which may create invasive 'super weeds.'

BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand)

A measure of the organic content in wastewater; the goal of treatment is to discharge effluent with a lower BOD.