Biotechnology (eBook)

David P. Clark, Nanette J. Pazdernik (Autoren)

eBook Download: PDF | EPUB

2015 | 2. Auflage
850 Seiten
Elsevier Science (Verlag)
978-0-12-385016-4 (ISBN)

Infos

Biotechnology, Second Edition approaches modern biotechnology from a molecular basis, which has grown out of increasing biochemical understanding of genetics and physiology. Using straightforward, less-technical jargon, Clark and Pazdernik introduce each chapter with basic concepts that develop into more specific and detailed applications. This up-to-date text covers a wide realm of topics including forensics, bioethics, and nanobiotechnology using colorful illustrations and concise applications. In addition, the book integrates recent, relevant primary research articles for each chapter, which are presented on an accompanying website. The articles demonstrate key concepts or applications of the concepts presented in the chapter, which allows the reader to see how the foundational knowledge in this textbook bridges into primary research. This book helps readers understand what molecular biotechnology actually is as a scientific discipline, how research in this area is conducted, and how this technology may impact the future. - Up-to-date text focuses on modern biotechnology with a molecular foundation - Includes clear, color illustrations of key topics and concept - Features clearly written without overly technical jargon or complicated examples - Provides a comprehensive supplements package with an easy-to-use study guide, full primary research articles that demonstrate how research is conducted, and instructor-only resources

David P. Clark did his graduate work on bacterial antibiotic resistance to earn his Ph.D. from Bristol University, England. He later crossed the Atlantic to work as a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University and then the University of Illinois. Dr Clark recently retired from teaching Molecular Biology and Bacterial Physiology at Southern Illinois University which he joined in 1981. His research into the Regulation of Alcohol Fermentation in E. coli was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, from 1982 till 2007. In 1991 he received a Royal Society Guest Research Fellowship to work at Sheffield University, England while on sabbatical leave.

Textauszug

Chapter 1

Basics of Biotechnology

Abstract

Biotechnology involves the use of living organisms in industrial processes—particularly in agriculture, food processing, and medicine. Biotechnology has been around ever since humans began manipulating the natural environment to improve their food supply, housing, and health. Biotechnology is not limited to humankind. Beavers cut up trees to build homes. Elephants deliberately drink fermented fruit to get an alcohol buzz. People have been making wine, beer, cheese, and bread for centuries. For wine, the earliest evidence of wine production has been dated to c. 6000 BC. All these processes rely on microorganisms to modify the original ingredients. Ever since the beginning of human civilization, farmers have chosen higher yielding crops by trial and error, so that many modern crop plants have much larger fruit or seeds than their ancestors.

Keywords

bacteriocins; bacteriophage; deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA polymerase; double helix; early genes; gene creatures; germline; human immunodeficiency virus; immunity protein; integrase; long terminal repeats; matrix attachment regions; mobile DNA; nucleosome; nucleotides; phosphate group; polymerase chain reaction; principle of independent assortment; principle of segregation; provirus; retroviruses; ribonucleic acid; stem cell; target sequence; virion

Advent of the Biotechnology Revolution

Chemical Structure of Nucleic Acids

Caenorhabditis elegans, a Small Roundworm

Bacteria as the Workhorses of Biotechnology

Escherichia coli Is the Model Bacterium

Many Bacteria Contain Plasmids

Other Bacteria in Biotechnology

Basic Genetics of Eukaryotic Cells

Yeast and Filamentous Fungi in Biotechnology

Yeast Mating Types and Cell Cycle

Multicellular Organisms as Research Models

Caenorhabditis elegans, a Small Roundworm

Drosophila melanogaster, the Common Fruit Fly

Zebrafish Are Models for Developmental Genetics

Mus musculus, the Mouse, Is Genetically Similar to Humans

Animal Cell Culture in Vitro

Arabidopsis thaliana, a Model Flowering Plant

Viruses Used in Genetics Research

Subviral Infectious Agents and Other Gene Creatures

Advent of the Biotechnology Revolution

Biotechnology involves the use of living organisms in industrial processes—particularly in agriculture, food processing, and medicine. Biotechnology has been around ever since humans began manipulating the natural environment to improve their food supply, housing, and health. Biotechnology is not limited to humankind. Beavers cut up trees to build homes. Elephants deliberately drink fermented fruit to get an alcohol buzz. People have been making wine, beer, cheese, and bread for centuries (Fig. 1.1). For wine, the earliest evidence of wine production has been dated to c. 6000 BC. All these processes rely on microorganisms to modify the original ingredients. Ever since the beginning of human civilization, farmers have chosen higher yielding crops by trial and error, so that many modern crop plants have much larger fruit or seeds than their ancestors (Fig. 1.2).

FIGURE 1.1 Traditional Biotechnology Products

Bread, cheese, wine, and beer have been made worldwide using microorganisms such as yeast. Photo taken by Karen Fiorino, Clay Lick Creek Pottery, IL, USA.

FIGURE 1.2 Teosinte versus Modern Corn

Since early civilization, people have improved many plants for higher yields. Teosinte (smaller cob and green seeds) is considered the ancestor of commercial corn (larger cob; a blue-seeded variety is shown). Courtesy of Wayne Campbell, Hila Science Camp.

We think of biotechnology as modern because of recent advances in molecular biology and genetic engineering. Huge strides have been made in our understanding of microorganisms, plants, livestock, as well as the human body and the natural environment. This has caused an explosion in the number and variety of biotechnology products. Face creams contain antioxidants—supposedly to fight the aging process. Genetically modified plants have genes inserted to protect them from insects, thus increasing the crop yield while decreasing the amount of insecticides used. Medicines are becoming more specific and compatible with our physiology. For example, insulin for diabetics is now genuine human insulin, although produced by genetically modified bacteria. Almost everyone has been affected by the recent advances in genetics and biochemistry.

Mendel’s early work that described how genetic characteristics are inherited from one generation to the next was the beginning of modern genetics (see Box 1.1). Next came the discovery of the chemical material of which genes are made—DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). This in turn led to the central dogma of genetics: the concept that genes made of DNA are expressed as an RNA (ribonucleic acid) intermediary that is then decoded to make proteins. These three steps are universal, applying to every type of living organism on earth. Yet these three steps are so malleable that life is found in almost every available niche on our planet.

Biotechnology affects all of our lives and has altered everything we encounter in life.

FIGURE A Relationship of Genotype and Phenotype

(A) Each parent has two alleles, either two yellow or two green. Any offspring will be heterozygous, each having a yellow and a green allele. Since the yellow allele is dominant, the peas look yellow. (B) When the heterozygous F1 offspring self-fertilize, the green phenotype re-emerges in one-fourth of the F2 generation.(B) When the heterozygous F1 offspring self-fertilize, the green phenotype re-emerges in one-fourth of the F2 generation.

Box 1.1 Gregor Johann Mendel (1822–1884): Founder of Modern Genetics

As a young man, Mendel spent his time doing genetics research and teaching math, physics, and Greek to high school children in Brno (now in the Czech Republic). Mendel studied the inheritance of various traits of the common garden pea, Pisum sativum, because he was able to raise two generations a year. He studied many different physical traits of the pea, such as flower color, flower position, seed color and shape, and pod color and shape. Mendel grew different plants next to each other, looking for traits that mixed together. Luckily, the traits he studied were each due to a single gene that was either dominant or recessive, although he did not know this at the time. Consequently, he never saw them “mix.” For example, when he grew yellow peas next to green peas, the offspring looked exactly like their parents. This showed that traits do not blend in the offspring, which was a common theory at the time.

Next Mendel moved pollen from one plant to another with different traits. He counted the number of offspring that inherited each trait and found that they were inherited in specific ratios. For example, when he cross-pollinated the yellow and green pea plants, their offspring, the F1 generation, was all yellow. Thus, the yellow trait must dominate or mask the green trait. He then let the F1 plants produce offspring, and grew all of the seeds. These, the F2 generation, segregated into 3/4 yellow and 1/4 green. When green seeds reappeared after skipping a generation, Mendel concluded that a “factor” for the trait—what we call a gene today—must have been present in the parent, even though the trait was not actually displayed.

Mendel demonstrated many principles that form the basis of modern genetics. First, units or factors (now called genes) for each trait are passed on to successive generations. Each parent has two copies of each gene but contributes only one copy of the gene to each offspring. This is called the principle of segregation. Second, the principle of independent assortment states that different offspring from the same parents can get separate sets of genes. The same phenotype (the observable physical traits) can be represented by different genotypes (combinations of genes). In other words, although a gene is present, the corresponding trait may not be seen in each generation. When Mendel began these experiments, he used purebred pea plants; that is, each trait always appeared the same in each generation. So when he first crossed a yellow pea with a green pea, each parent had two identical copies or alleles of each gene. The green pea had two green alleles, and the yellow pea had two yellow alleles. Consequently, each F1 offspring received one yellow allele and one green allele. Despite this, the F1 plants all had yellow peas. Thus, yellow is dominant to green. Finally, when the F1 generation was self-pollinated, the F2 plants included some that inherited two recessive green alleles and had a green phenotype (Fig. A).

Mendel published these results, but no one recognized the significance of his research until after his death. Later in life he became the abbot of a monastery and did not pursue his genetics research.

Chemical Structure of Nucleic Acids

The upcoming discussions introduce the organisms...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 16.5.2015
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Genetik / Molekularbiologie
• Themenwelt: Technik ► Umwelttechnik / Biotechnologie
• ISBN-10: 0-12-385016-9 / 0123850169
• ISBN-13: 978-0-12-385016-4 / 9780123850164