Lecture 1 Introduction,definitions and history 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 Making breads and curds with the help of micro organisms.

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 Protoplast fusion Cell catalysis Biotechnology DNA manipulation Tissue culture Protoplast fusion Cell catalysis Immobilized enzymes Protein engineering

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 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.

Some of the most famous biotechnology products

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

Gene coding for antibiotic resistance Plasmid Vector 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 Isolating genomic DNA Fragmenting this DNA Screening the fragments Insertion of DNA in a vector Introducing in Host Culturing the cells Transformation of host cell

Basic steps involved in process Isolating genomic DNA 1. Isolating genomic DNA from the donor. Fragmenting this DNA Fragmenting this DNA using molecular scissors. The cell or organism from which the required gene is taken is called donor. Molecular scissors are enzymes that cut the DNA strands at desired sites. 2.

Basic steps involved in process 3. Screening the fragments Screening the fragments for a “desired gene”. Inserting the fragments with the desired gene in a ‘cloning vector’. 4. Insertion of DNA in a vector

Basic steps involved in process 5. Introducing in Host Introducing the recombinant vector into a competent host cell Culturing the cells 6. 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. 7.

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? Example of Biotechnology – Selective Breeding What feature of Casper makes it a "model organism" to study migration of cancer cells compared to wildtype fish? (a) (b) Normal zebrafish "Casper" zebrafish – made by selective breeding Answer: Via selective breeding, by mating a zebrafish mutant that lacked reflective pigment with a zebrafish that lacked black pigment, Casper is transparent. This feature allows scientists to inject fluorescent cancer cells into Casper's abdominal cavity and then track the migration of those cells to specific locations in his body.

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? Answer: No, you need to take many science courses including biology, computer science, chemistry, math (especially statistics). If you are not broadly trained, you will not be able to obtain a job in this growing field!

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 Answer: The answers will vary. Low cost production of proteins used to treat diseases Development of recombinant enzymes to be used by molecular biologists for research Students can come up with many more great ideas. This exercise really makes students stretch their imaginations and they really enjoy working together to generate great ideas!

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%! Answer: This will vary, depending on what students come up with. Probably, most will discuss use of recombinant technology to genetically modify foods. For example, scientists can create better crops that are perhaps more drought resistant. They can create ways to better preserve fruits and vegetables so they don't quickly rot and get wasted. Perhaps create crops that are foul tasting to pests including bugs and animals so that the crops survive. Perhaps create ways to have crops grow even in the most extreme conditions. Students will probably discuss better ways to feed people without relying on being carnivores. A lot of the discussion will be ways to obtain proteins from other novel food sources.

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. Answer: Will vary depending on the group's idea. Perhaps, you want to study the role of insulin in preventing diabetes. By knocking out the gene coding for insulin, you can observe the animal's response (development of diabetes). Then scientists can inject recombinant insulin to the animal and again, study their responses to the treatment. © 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. Answer: Based on the gel results, there is evidence that the defendant committed the crime. The position of the bands as well as number of bands on the gel match with the victim's blood. It is important to note, that though the bands are very light for the sample from the jeans, they also match the victim's blood. Based on this gel, you CAN ONLY say that the defendant is linked to the crime scene. You cannot use this evidence to state that the defendant is guilty of the murder.

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/genetically-engineered-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 and anticancer molecules © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.

1.2 Types of Biotechnology Aquatic Biotechnology Why create transgenic salmon overproducing growth hormone? How does this modified salmon help humans? transgenic Answer 1. By creating transgenic salmon that overproduce Growth Hormone, it allows the salmon to have fast growth rates over a short period of time. Answer 2. This modified salmon helps humans because it decreases the time and expenses required to grow the salmon for market sale. normal Two different salmon © 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.