Biotechnology MCQs: Cells, Genetics, DNA & Cloning

Answer: b) EFB (European Federation of Biotechnology)

Explanation: The definition of biotechnology was given by EFB(European Federation of Biotechnology) in the year of 1989. The statement of biotechnology given by EFB contains both the traditional and modern views. According to EFB, biotechnology is the integration of natural science and living organisms, cells, their components, and molecular analogues for products and services. Also, there are lots of products made from natural science and engineering using biotechnology.

Answer: a)Traditional Biotechnology and Modern Molecular Biotechnology

Explanation: When EFB has given the definition of biotechnology then both the traditional and modern views are considered.Also, traditional biotechnology usually deals with the fermentation technology using microorganisms. Modern molecular biotechnology is mainly based on genetic engineering which is the combination of biology and production technology. As per the EFB, biotechnology is defined as the integration of natural science and living organisms, cells, their components, and molecular analogues for products and services. 

Answer: c) Genetic engineering and maintenance of a sterile environment.

Explanation: The two core techniques that enable the birth of modern biotechnology are genetic engineering and maintenance of a sterile environment. Genetic engineering uses techniques to change the chemistry of genetic materials as well as exploit them. While the manufacturing of biological products is caused by the maintenance of a sterile environment, it enables the growth of only desired organisms in a huge quantity. 

Answer: d) Vaccine.

Explanation: The product of biotechnology is vaccines. For chemical engineering processes, the maintenance microbial contamination free environment is required because it enables the growth of only desired organisms. Therefore, the production of organisms in a huge quantity is required for the manufacture of biotechnological products such as vaccines, antibiotics, enzymes and many more.

Answer: a) Genetic Engineering.

Explanation: Genetic Engineering is the technique which is used to overcome the limitation of traditional hybridization procedures. This is because traditional hybridization procedures lead to the inclusion and multiplication of undesirable genes along with the desirable genes. So, the genetic techniques like recombinant DNA, use of gene cloning, gene transfer etc. are used to overcome the limitation of traditional hybridization procedures.

Answer: a)Origin of replication.

Explanation: Origin of replication initiates the replication in DNA. There is a specific DNA sequence in a chromosome called an origin of replication which is responsible for initiating the replication. The termination sequence is a point where DNA replication terminates, however histone proteins are the proteins around DNA which are used to wound it. Also, DNA ligase is a type of enzyme which is helpful in joining DNA.

Answer: c) Plasmid.

Explanation: Plasmid is the autonomously replicating circular extrachromosomal DNA. In fact, plasmid is typically a small circular DNA strand in the cytoplasm of a bacterium or protozoan. In a cell, plasmid is a genetic structure that can replicate independently of the chromosomes. Plasmids are usually used in recombinant DNA technology.

Answer: c) Molecular scissors.

Explanation: Restriction enzymes are the kind of molecular scissors. These kinds of enzymes are also known as restrictase. They have short nucleotide sequences that identify the specific sites and cleave the DNA at or near the specific recognition sites within the molecules. 

Answer: a)Vector

Explanation: Plasmid DNA acts as a vector to transfer the piece of DNA attached to it into the host organism. In fact, a vector is a DNA molecule which is used as a vehicle to artificially carry the foreign genetic material into another cell. Plasmid DNA is basically used as a vector to insert the gene of interest in the host or desired organism.

Answer: c) Cloning.

Explanation: Cloning is defined as the making multiple copies which are genetically identical to the desired DNA template. The process of making multiple copies of DNA template can be natural or artificial. These clones replicate themselves inside the host body. 

Answer: b) Salmonella typhimurium

Explanation: Due to linking a gene encoding antibiotic resistance with a native plasmid of Salmonella typhimurium the first recombinant DNA was constructed. The famous scientists Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer successfully conducted this experiment in the year of 1972. 

Answer: c) Smith and Nathans.

Explanation: Smith and Nathans discovered the restriction enzymes in 1970. The restriction enzymes also known as molecular scissors as these enzymes cut the DNA at particular base sequence. They cut the DNA at specific cut and find out that each strand of the DNA is a double helix.

Answer: c) Endonuclease.

Explanation: Bacteria protect themselves from viruses through fragmenting viral DNA with Endonuclease. Endonuclease is the restriction enzyme which is the protein that is produced by bacterial cells which leaves DNA at specific sites along with the molecule. This is helpful to protect bacteria from viral attack. Also, bacterial DNA does not degrade due to its own enzymes.

Answer: c) Transfer of DNA fragments from electroplastic gel to a nitrocellulose sheet.

Explanation: Southern blotting is referred to as a laboratory technique which is used to detect a specific DNA sequence in a blood or tissue sample. Using gel electrophoresis, fragments are separated which are made by cutting the sample of DNA by restriction enzymes. These DNA fragments are transferred out of the gel to the surface of a membrane. Nitrocellulose sheet or membrane is placed on the top or below depending on the direction of the transfer of the gel.

Answer: c) Addition of substrate which is converted into a coloured end product.

Explanation: ELISA stands for addition of substrate that is converted into a coloured end product. ELISA is based on the principle that explains how specific antibodies bind to the target antigen . This is happening because of the antibody- antigen interactions. At the time of interactions, the substrate will be able to bind the enzyme and substrate conversion can be witnessed that provides a positive result.

Answer: d) B- carotene and ferritin

Explanation: The Golden Rice variety has maximum in B- carotene and ferritin. Golden rice comes under the category of genetically modified rice. This kind of variety of rice was developed for the area where there is a shortage of dietary vitamin A which consists of beta carotene(provitamin A). This is introduced in the rice through genetic engineering. The color of golden rice is yellow due to the presence of beta carotene.

Answer: c)Unpaired bases.

Explanation: Due to unpaired bases, DNA fragments have sticky ends. Due to complementary base pairs, the sticky ends of the fragment stick together in a DNA. These sticky ends formed due to the properties of the end of DNA molecules. According to these properties, DNA ends may be sticky or blunt because of the restriction enzymes which cut the DNA at one end of the sequence between two bases on the same strand.

Answer: d) Self replication in bacterial cells.

Explanation: Plasmids are used as vectors in molecular biology for the purpose of replication. Plasmids are also used as cloning vectors. In this, cloning vectors do many things such as replication,modification and temporary storage of specific desired gene sequences.

Answer:  a) 1990.

Explanation: The human genome project was launched in the year of 1990. It started 1st october,1990 to determine the DNA sequence of the entire human genome. This project took 13 years to complete. In 2003, finally the scientists discovered around 20,000 to 25,000 human genes which are essential for the further biology studies.

Answer: c) Third generation vaccines

Explanation: The third generation vaccines are prepared through recombinant DNA technology. Most of the DNA vaccines are third generation vaccines. These types of vaccines are made up of small, circular pieces of bacteria which are known as plasmid. Plasmids are genetically engineered to produce one or two specific proteins from a pathogen.

Answer: d) All of the above.

Explanation: Genetically modified crops are those types of crops which are produced by genetic engineering. These are artificial kinds of crops. Golden rice, bt-cotton,bt-brinjal are produced by genetic engineering techniques. To enhance the yield of crops genetically modified crops techniques are used.

Answer: b)Karry Mullis.

Explanation: PCR technique was invented by Karry Mullis in the 1980s to determine the efficient ways which are helpful in diagnosing certain infectious diseases and genetic changes. Also, this is a laboratory technique which is used to amplify the DNA sequences. Karry Mullis received the Nobel prize in chemistry for this invention in 1993.

Answer: a) Tobacco.

Explanation: The first transgenic plant to be produced is Tobacco. In 1982, the first genetically modified crop was produced, which is tobacco. Tobacco is an antibiotic resistant plant. After a decade(1992), China became the first nation which produced the first transgenic plant at commercial level which is a virus resistant plant.

Answer: a) Cell defense.

Explanation: RNA interference is helpful in cell defense. RNA interference is a natural process which is helpful in the regulation of protein synthesis and in immunity. Also, RNA interference plays an essential role in defending cells against parasitic nucleotide sequences such as viruses and transposons.

Answer: d) Gives high yield and is rich in vitamin A.

Explanation: The quality improved transgenic basmati rice gives high yield and is rich in vitamin A. With the help of genetic engineering, the yield and quality of the basmati rice is increased. Some disease resistance genes are added while preparing the crop so that the yield of the basmati rice improves. 

Answer: c) Adenosine deaminase deficiency .

Explanation: In 1992, a four year old girl who was suffering from SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency). This is happening due to the genetic defect present in her body. Some important enzymes were absent like adenosine deaminase which are essential for the survival of the immune system. 

Answer: a) Genetic engineering.

Explanation: Excision and insertion of a gene is known as genetic engineering. In genetic engineering, there are many techniques which are used for the manipulation of the genes of organisms by introducing or rearranging specific genes using molecular modern biotechnology which are referred to as recombinant DNA techniques.

Answer: a) Reporter.

Explanation: The expression of a transgene in the target tissue is identified by a reporter. Reporter gene works as indicators which are used to know the gene expression in target tissue for pharmaceutical as well as molecular biology research. A transgene is the type of artificial gene which is derived from a different species.

Answer: c) Retrovirus.

Explanation: Retrovirus is used as a vector for cloning into higher organisms. 

Retrovirus is used as a vector without its pathogenic attributes. The function of a cloning vector is to introduce foreifn DNA into host cells. Retrovirus are helpful in producing the replication of DNA.

Answer: a) Escherichia.

Explanation: Escherichia is used in the production of insulin with the help of genetic engineering. Escherichia is commonly used because it has high growth rate, simple media requirement, easy to handle, high yield etc. Also, Escherichia is very cost effective.

Answer: c)3 x 109

Explanation: in the human Genome, DNA base pairs are about 3 x 109. It means there are around 3 billions base pairs located on 23 chromosomes in the haploid set. Also, there are approximately 19,000 - 20,000 protein coding genes present in 3 billion base pairs.

Answer: a) pBR322.

Explanation: pBR322 is a plasmid vector which is widely used for cloning purposes. The ‘p’ refers to plasmids, ‘B’ refers to Bolivar and ‘R’ refers to Rodriquez. pBR322 consists of 4361 base pairs with two resistance genes present. Thus, pBR322 is called a dual resistance vector. M13 is a virus which is used for DNA recombinant processes. pUC19 and pUC18 are also kinds of cloning vectors.