Introduction to

Biotechnology

By: Judy Retti

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Biotechnology
The application of scientific
and engineering principles to
the processing of materials
by biological agents to
provide good (food, clothing,
shelter) and services (health
and safety)
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History
 Past - associated with food
(fermentation process) → Used
to make products more useful or
desirable
- brewing techniques for beer
- conversion of milk into cheese or yogurt
- tempe/tofu production
- etc.
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 PD I
- Germany, grew yeast → animal feed
- side product lactic acid - made up for a
lack of hydraulic fluid, glycerol.
- Starch - to eliminate Britain's shortage
of acetone, a key raw material in
explosives, by fermenting maize to
acetone.

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 Present –
- to create opportunities for new
fermentation products
- associated with the development of
drugs → health  genetic engineering
- the process by which raw materials
could be biologically upgraded into
socially useful products

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Genetic Engineering

 Changing the genetic information in a

cell
 Specific trait of one organism may be
isolated,cut, and moved into the cell of
another organism

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Transgenic

 Results of Genetic Engineering →

“transgenic”
 Genetic material in an organism has
been altered

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Agricultural View
 The goal of scientists is to improve
crop yields and to diminish further
damage to the environment through
the over-use of chemicals.
 Develop the new crops.
- Increase yield
- Better characteristics
- Protect themselves from the viruses and
insects which damage them
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 Milk production
 New horticultural and ornamental plants
 Corn plant produced with high levels of
the amino acid Lysine

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Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
 Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a bacterium which
occurs naturally in the soil. Some strains of Bt
can produce proteins that kill certain insects.
 It is not harmful to humans, other mammals,
birds, fish, or beneficial insects.
 It is relatively expensive, it must be eaten by
insects as opposed to simple exposure, it is
broken down by sunlight, and rain washes it
away from plants.
 → Bt is most effective when it is actually
contained in the plant itself.
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Potatoes
 Each year, a significant amount of crops
are lost to disease and pests.
 The Colorado potato beetle is very
harmful to the potato industry.
The beetle feeds on the growing
plant leaves and stems during the
growing season, stunting the plant and
cutting yields.
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  Bt is especially effective against the
Colorado potato beetle.
 When the Bt gene is inserted into the
 potato plant, the plant produces a
protein that is toxic to the beetle.
Therefore, when the beetle feeds on
the genetically improved plant, the
toxic protein interferes with its
digestive system and it dies.
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Tomatoes
 In order for tomatoes to be shipped,
they must be picked at the mature-
green stage.
 Mature green tomatoes have already
absorbed all the vitamins and nutrients
from the plant that they can, but have
not started to produce the natural
ethylene gas that triggers ripening.
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 The green tomatoes are then put into
ripening rooms, where ethylene gas is
released.
 They spend 3 to 4 days in the ripening
room before being shipped a
temperatures not lower than 100C.
 Cooler temperatures destroy tomato
flavour. When tomatoes arrive at the
grocery store, they are still 3 to 4 days
away from being ripe.
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Flavr Savr Tomato
 A tomato with a gene that slows the natural
softening process that accompanies
ripening.
 Pectin occurs in many fruits and contributes
to their firmness.
 The pectin in ripening tomatoes is degraded
by an enzyme called polygalacturonase.
 As the pectin is destroyed, the cell walls of
tomatoes break down and then soften.

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 The scientists were able to reduce the
amount of this enzyme in tomatoes,
which slowed the rate of cell wall
breakdown and produced a firmer fruit
for a longer time.
 This allows sugars to be transported to
the fruit, resulting in more flavour. At
the same time, the tomato remains firm
enough to be shipped.

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  No soft spots
 No rotten spots
 Tomato resists spoilage

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Bovine Somatotropin
 Bovine Somatotropin (bST) is a
metabolic protein hormone used to
increase milk production in dairy cows.
 Hormones are chemicals that are
secreted by glands within the body.
 Somatotropins (growth hormones) are
protein hormones made in the pituitary
gland located at the base of the
animals brain.
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  The master hormone that
- regulates growth in mammals
- regulates the metabolism of nutrients
in the diet.

Milk production in cows

 In order for cows to continue
producing milk, these growth
hormones must be continuously
secreted.
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  1930 → injecting bST into cows can
significantly increase milk production.
 The only source of bST was from the
pituitary glands of slaughtered cattle.

determined which gene in cattle

controls the production of bST.
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 → removed the gene from cattle and
inserted it into a bacterium called
Escherichia coli.

 produces large amounts of rbST

(recombinant bovine somatotropin) in
controlled laboratory conditions.
 → purified
 → then injected into cattle on a regular
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Medicine
 Therapeutant - product used to
maintain health or prevent disease
 Biopharmaceuticals – drug or vaccine
developed through biotechnology called
designer drugs
 Gene therapy - new developments
delve into the hereditary material of
humans

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Biopharming
 Production of pharmaceuticals in
cultured organisms
 Combination of the agriculture and
pharmaceutical industries
 many drugs → made of protein (e.g.
insulin – to treat diabetes)
 Previously, the only way of obtaining
insulin was to collect it from slaughtered
pigs → extremely limited supplies.
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 Using genetic engineering
 Human genes can be transferred to
microorganisms or other animals to
make human proteins.
 The first successful products of this
technology were protein drugs like
insulin and growth hormone.
 Genetically engineered bacteria can
be used to manufacture these drugs.
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 Unfortunately, microorganisms such as
bacteria are not able to produce all
human proteins.
 Some protein drugs require
modifications that only cells of higher
organisms like mammals can provide.
 A transgenic animal for pharmaceutical
production should produce the desired
drug at high levels without endangering
its own health.
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 The DNA gene for the protein drug is inserted
into the livestock animals → the drug is made
only in the milk.
 Since the mammary gland and milk are not
involved in the main life support systems of
the animal, there is virtually no danger of
disease or harm to the animal in making the
foreign protein drug.
 The drug can then be purified from the milk
which can easily be obtained from the animal.

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 Blood Donors
 Most protein drugs are made in milk, one
exception is human hemoglobin that is being
made in pig blood.
 the animal is slaughtered……. extracted and
used as a blood substitute for human blood
transfusions.
difficult

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Cloning
Process of producing a new
organism from cells or
tissues of existing organism.
1997 cloned sheep – “Dolly”
in Edinburgh Scotland

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Environment
 Any biotechnological process
that may promote a good
environment
 Organisms developed during
the gulf war to “eat” oil
 Organism used in gold mining
to “eat” contaminants
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 Problems naturally solved by
microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi
break down contaminant into a form
less harmful or not harmful

Composting
Biogas production
Activated sludge
Etc.
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Efficiency
 Inoculating legume seeds with
bacteria that allow the plant to pull
nitrogen out of the air and put it into
the soil
 Saves the cost of applying N
fertilizer
 → trees grow faster and produce
wood that is more desirable
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Greater Production
 Increases yields
 bST use in cows to produce
more milk
 Higher crop yields from
drought, disease & insect
resistant crops
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 Health Promoting
Foods
 Food with unique traits
 Some contain therapeutants
 Some designed with nutrient
enrichment
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Safety
 Consumers want foods to
provide needed nutrients and in
some cases, enhanced foods
 Do not want side effects from
those enhanced foods

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Easy preparation
 Flavr-Savr Tomato
 Reached the market in early
1990’s
 Engineered to have a longer
shelf life

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Synthetic biology
 Creating lifelike characteristics through
the use of chemicals
 Based on creating structures similar to
those found in living organisms
 Need for synthetic cells lead to the
development of the vesicle
 Vesicle – tiny rounded structure with cell
like traits
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Vesicle
 Tiny structures similar to soap bubbles
were created to serve as the cell
membrane
 Visible only with powerful microscope
 Once the cell membrane has been
successfully developed, development of
the materials with the cell is initiated.
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Synthetic biology
 Is important because it brings
science closer to creating life in the
lab
 Cells and tissues may be
developed to treat human injury
and disease
 In the future, animals may be used
to produce human organs
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