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FE314- Biotechnology
Spring 2017
Lecture 1
Introduction,definitions and history
Outline
• Definition
• History
• Types of Biotechnology
1.1 What Is Biotechnology and What Does
It Mean to You?
• Biotechnology – using living organisms, or the
products of living organisms, for human
benefit to make a product or solve a problem
• Historical Examples
– Fermentation
– Selective breeding
– Use of antibiotics
Definition
• Biotechnology is the
integration of natural
science and organisms,
cells, parts thereof and
molecular analogues
for products and
services.
Oldest form of biotechnology
Application of
fermentation in
production of wine
and other alcoholic
beverages is also a
biotechnological
technique
But with time
biotechnology gradually
became more sophisticated.
DNA
manipulation
Tissue
culture
Protein
engineering
Biotechnology
Protoplast
fusion
Immobilized
enzymes
Cell
catalysis
Biotechnology led to production of many products and
provides many services for human welfare.
The term biotechnology was used for the first time by Karl Erkey,
a Hungarian Engineer, in 1919. Was it the start of biotechnology?
The answer is no& Later on biotechnology was defined by
different scientists. As per one definition biotechnology is,
“Application of the principles of engineering and biological
science to create new products from raw materials of biological
origin, for example, vaccines or food.” Or in other words, it can
also be defined as, “the use of living organism/s or their product/s
to modify or improve human health and human environment”.
Apart from their beneficial applications, biotechnological
principles has potential for destruction too, the best example for
this is ‘bioterrorism’.
Biotechnology: A Basic Requirement
As we know, the technological application of biological material is
considered as biotechnology. If, we want to understand how it
works, then it is essential for us to know what is the starting point
or material for biotechnology. In general, biotechnology uses
either living material or biological products to create new
products for their use in various pharmaceutical, medical,
agricultural, and environmental applications, with the ultimate
goal to benefit humanity, for example, production of recombinant
proteins, resistant crops, vegetables, higher milk producing
animals, and the list is endless.
Biotechnology and its Various Stages of Development
There are various stages in the development of biotechnology
to meet the various needs of humans. Its development was
basically based on observations, and applications of these
observations to practical scenarios. The complexity of
biotechnology is augmented due to evolution of new
technologies with time, as these are based on the
employment of improved technological advancements along
with better understanding of various principles of life-science.
If, we systemically study the developments of biotechnology
up to its current stage, it can be divided into three different
stages or categories: (1) Ancient Biotechnology, (2) Classical
Biotechnology, and (3) Modern Biotechnology. Some
important discoveries related to biotechnology have been
shown in Figure 1.
Figure. History of the development of biotechnology. Some of the
important biotechnology discoveries have been plotted in this graph, with
a possibility for its unlimited growth in the future
Ancient Biotechnology (Pre-1800)
After domestication of food crops and wild animals, man moved on to
other new observations like cheese, curd, etc. Certainly, cheese can be
considered as one of the first direct products (or by-product) of
biotechnology, because it was prepared by adding rennet (an enzyme
found in the stomach of calves) to sour milk, which is possible only by
exposing milk to microbes (although this understanding was not there,
at that time). Yeast is one of the oldest microbes that have been
exploited by humans for their benefit. Yeast has been widely used to
make bread, vinegar production, and other fermentation products,
which include production of alcoholic beverages like whiskey, wine,
beer, etc. Vinegar has a significant importance because of its low pH.
Vinegar is capable of preventing growth of certain microbes, and
therefore, vinegar can be used successfully for food preservation. The
discoveries and benefits of these observations led people to work on
further improvement of the process. Fermentation was a powerful tool
to improve their living conditions, even though they were ignorant
about the principle behind it.
Classical Biotechnology
The second phase of evolution and development of biotechnology
can be called ‘Classical Biotechnology’. This phase existed from 1800
to almost the middle of the twentieth century. During this period
various observations started pouring in, with scientific evidences.
They were all very helpful toward solving the puzzle/s of
biotechnology.
The basics for the transfer of genetic information are the core of
biotechnology. This was, for the first time, deciphered in plants,
i.e., Pisum sativum, commonly known as Pea plant. These
observations were decoded by Gregor John Mendel (1822-1884), an
Austrian Augustinian Monk. Mendel at that time presented “Laws of
Inheritance” to the Natural Science Society in Brunn, Austria.
Mendel proposed that invisible internal units of information account
for observable traits, and that these ‘factors’ -later called as genes,
which are passed from one generation to the next.
Modern Biotechnology
The Second World War became a major impediment in
scientific discoveries. After the end of the second world war
some, very crucial discoveries were reported, which paved
the path for modern biotechnology and to its current status.
In 1953, JD Watson and FHC Crick for the first time cleared
the mysteries around the DNA as a genetic material, by
giving a structural model of DNA, popularly known as,
‘Double Helix Model of DNA’. This model was able to explain
various phenomena related to DNA replication, and its role
in inheritance. Later, Jacob and Monad had given the
concept of Operon in 1961, while Kohler and Milestein in
1975, came up with the concept of cytoplasmic hybridization
and produced the first ever monoclonal antibodies, which
has revolutionized the diagnostics.
In-Vitro Fertilization
Also called as
Test tube baby
Plant tissue culture
DNA vaccines
The recombinant DNA technique
was first proposed by
Peter Lobann
A. Dale Kaiser
The present day rDNA technology flourished
after the work of
Plasmid
Gene coding for
antibiotic resistance
Vecto
r
Cloning
Salmonella typhimurium
They successfully linked a gene
coding for antibiotic resistance
with a native plasmid of
Salmonella typhimurium with
the vector plasmid and then
cloning it in E.coli.
E. coli
What is recombinant DNA ?
• Technique of manipulating the genome of a
cell or organism so as to change the
phenotype desirably.
Seedless guava
Calorie free sugar
Basic steps involved in process
Introducing in
Host
Culturing the
cells
Isolating
genomic DNA
Insertion of
DNA in a
vector
Fragmenting
this DNA
Transformation of
host cell
Screening
the
fragments
Basic steps involved in process
Isolating
genomic DNA
Fragmenting
this DNA
Isolating
genomic DNA
from the donor.
Fragmenting
this DNA using
molecular
scissors.
Basic steps involved in process
Screening
the
fragments
Insertion of
DNA in a
vector
Screening the
fragments for a
“desired gene”.
Inserting the
fragments with the
desired gene in a
‘cloning vector’.
Basic steps involved in process
Introducing
in Host
Introducing the recombinant
vector into a competent host
cell
Culturing
the cells
Culturing these cells to obtain
multiple copies or clones of
desired DNA fragments
Transformation
of host cell
Using these copies to
transform suitable host cells
so as to express the desired
gene.
Example: Production of Insulin
Tools used in recombinant DNA
technology
• Vectors
Low molecular weight DNA
molecules.
Transfer genetic material into
another cell.
Capable of multiplying
independently.
hat Is Biotechnology and What Does It
Mean to You?
• Biotechnology – using living organisms, or the
products of living organisms, for human
benefit to make a product or solve a problem
• Historical Examples
– Fermentation
– Selective breeding
– Use of antibiotics
1.1 What Is Biotechnology and What Does
It Mean to You?
(b)
•(a) Example of Biotechnology – Selective
Breeding
Normal zebrafish
"Casper" zebrafish – made
by selective breeding
• What feature of Casper makes it a "model organism" to
study migration of cancer cells compared to wildtype fish?
What Is Biotechnology and What Does It
Mean to You?
• Based on this tree,
can you become
successful in the
biotech industry
only studying
biology?
1.1 What Is Biotechnology and What
Does It Mean to You?
• Modern Examples
– Gene cloning
– Genetic engineering
– Recombinant DNA technology
– Human Genome Project
1.1 What Is Biotechnology and What Does
It Mean to You?
• Example of "modern" biotechnology:
– recombinant DNA technology started modern biotech as
an industry
• Examples of applications
–
–
–
–
development of disease-resistant plants
food crops that produce greater yields
"golden rice" engineered to be more nutritious
genetically engineered bacteria that can degrade
environmental pollutant
What Is Biotechnology and What Does It
Mean to You?
• Use genetically modified cultured cells to
make protein of interest
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
1.1 What Is Biotechnology and What Does
It Mean to You?
• Products of Modern Biotechnology
– Example of proteins created by gene cloning called
recombinant proteins
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
Types of Biotechnology
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Microbial Biotechnology
Agricultural Biotechnology
Animal Biotechnology
Forensic Biotechnology
Bioremediation
Aquatic Biotechnology
Medical Biotechnology
Regulatory Biotechnology
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Microbial Biotechnology – manipulation of
microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria
– Create better enzymes
– More efficient decontamination processes for
industrial waste product removal
– Used to clone and produce large amounts of
important proteins used in human medicine
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Agricultural Biotechnology
– United Nations Food and Agricultural Org. predicts
by 2050, we will need to feed a world population
of 9.1 billion! This requires raising food production
by approximately 70%!
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Agricultural Biotechnology
– Plants more environmentally friendly that yield
more per acre (genetically engineered)
– Resistance to diseases and insects
– Foods with higher protein or vitamin content
– Drugs developed and grown as plant products
– These better plants ultimately reduce production
costs to help feed the growing world population
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Animal Biotechnology
– Animals as a source of medically valuable proteins
• Antibodies
• Transgenic animals
– Animals as important models in basic research
• Gene "knockout" experiments
• Design and testing of drugs and genetic therapies
– Animal cloning
• Source of transplant organs
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Animal Biotechnology
– transgenic animal: way to achieve large scale
production of therapeutic proteins from animals
for use in humans
– Female transgenic animals express therapeutic
proteins in milk (contains genes from another
source)
– Example: human genes coding for clotting
proteins can be introduced into female goats for
production of these proteins in their milk
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Animal Biotechnology
– Gene knockout:
• Disrupt a gene in the animal and then look at what
functions are affected in the animal as a result of the
loss of the gene
• This allows researchers to determine the role and
function of the gene
• Since humans are similar to rats and mice, gene
knockout studies in rats and mice can lead to better
understanding of gene function in humans.
• Work in groups and give an example of a gene you
would like to knockout in mice.
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Forensic Biotechnology
– DNA fingerprinting
•
•
•
•
•
Inclusion or exclusion of a person from suspicion
Paternity cases
Identification of human remains
Endangered species
Tracking and confirmation of the spread of disease
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Forensic Biotechnology
• Based on DNA results
from this gel, did the
defendant commit this
crime? Explain based
on the gel results.
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Bioremediation
– The use of biotechnology to process and degrade
a variety of natural and manmade substances
• Particularly those that contribute to environmental
pollution
– Example – stimulated growth of bacteria that
degrade components in crude oil
• 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska
• 2010 Deep Water Horizon spill promoted research into
natural oil-degrading organisms and enzymes
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Bioremediation – adding nutrients to stimulate
growth of bacteria to clean up oil spill
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Aquatic Biotechnology
– Aquaculture – raising finfish or shellfish in controlled
conditions for use as food sources
• 50% of all fish consumed by humans worldwide
– Genetic engineering
• Disease-resistant strains of oysters
• Vaccines against viruses that infect salmon and
other finfish
• Transgenic salmon that overproduce growth hormone
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20100922/geneticallyengineered-salmon-faq
– Bioprospecting: rich and valuable sources of new genes,
proteins and metabolic processes with important
applications for human benefits
• Marine plankton and snails found to be rich sources of antitumor
anticancer
molecules
© 2013 Pearson and
Education,
Inc.
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Aquatic Biotechnology
• Why create transgenic salmon overproducing growth
hormone?
transgenic
normal
Two different salmon
• How does this modified salmon help humans?
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Medical Biotechnology
– Involved with the whole spectrum of human
medicine
• Preventive medicine
• Diagnosis of health and illness
• Treatment of human diseases
– New information from Human Genome Project
• Gene therapy
– Stem cell technologies
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
1.2 Types of Biotechnology
• Medical biotechnology
– Genes are headline news items
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.