CIE Biology GCSE

20 - Biotechnology and Genetic

Engineering
Flashcards
State 3 reasons why bacteria are very
useful in biotechnology
State 3 reasons why bacteria are very useful in
biotechnology

- They have a rapid growth rate

- They can produce lots of complex
molecules quickly
- They are cheap to grow
State 3 further reasons why bacteria are
useful in biotechnology
(Higher/Supplement)
State 3 further reasons why bacteria are useful in
biotechnology (Higher/Supplement)
- There are no ethical concerns about how they are
used
- They have the same universal genetic code
- They contain plasmids which can be used to
transfer genes
Write the word equation for anaerobic
respiration in yeast
Write the word equation for anaerobic respiration in
yeast?

glucose → alcohol + carbon dioxide +

energy
State 2 uses of anaerobic respiration in
yeast
State 2 uses of anaerobic respiration in yeast

- Making bread rise (the carbon dioxide

helps the bread to rise)
- Making ethanol for biofuels
Describe the use of the enzyme
pectinase in producing fruit juice
Describe the use of the enzyme pectinase in
producing fruit juice
- Pectinase is an enzyme that breaks down pectins
in the cell wall of the fruits
- By breaking down the cell walls, it releases the
juice from within the cells
Describe the use of enzymes in
biological washing powders
Describe the use of enzymes in biological washing
powders
Biological washing powders contain enzymes like
lipases that break down lipids and proteases that
break down proteins into smaller water-soluble
molecules that are easier to wash away
What enzyme is used to produce lactose
free milk?
(Higher/Supplement)
What enzyme is used to produce lactose free milk?
(Higher/Supplement)

Lactase
How is lactase used to produce lactose
free milk?
(Higher/Supplement)
How is lactase used to produce lactose free milk?
(Higher/Supplement)
When the enzyme lactase is mixed with milk
which contains lactose, the lactase enzymes
break the lactose down into simple sugars that
can be consumed by people who have
intolerances to lactose
What is the name of the fungus that
produces penicillin
(Higher/Supplement)
What is the name of the fungus that produces
penicillin (Higher/Supplement)

Penicillium
 How are fermenters used in the
commercial production of penicillin?
(Higher/Supplement)
How are fermenters used in the commercial
production of penicillin? (Higher/Supplement)
Fermenters are used to produce lots of the fungus
Penicillium quickly and cheaply by controlling the
conditions to maximise growth
What is genetic engineering?
What is genetic engineering?

Altering the genome of an organism by

adding, removing or changing genes
State 4 examples of genetic engineering
State 4 examples of genetic engineering

- Inserting the human insulin gene into bacteria to produce

insulin industrially
- Inserting genes for herbicide resistance into plants
- Inserting genes for pesticide resistance into plants
- Inserting genes into crops to provide them with extra
vitamins
How are new genes introduced into an
organism?
(Higher/Supplement)
How are new genes introduced into an organism?
(Higher/Supplement)
- The organisms genes are cut using restriction enzymes to
create sticky ends
- The DNA from a bacterium is also cut to produce sticky
ends
- The gene is inserted into the plasmid and joined together by
DNA ligase enzymes to make a recombinant plasmid
- The plasmid is placed back into the bacterium
Give 3 benefits of genetically modified
crops
(Higher/Supplement)
Give 3 benefits of genetically modified crops
(Higher/Supplement)
- The plants are resistant to herbicides
and disease
- The plants grow bigger and more quickly
- The plants can grow in harsher environments and
without the need to continue to top up nutrients
frequently
Give 2 disadvantages of genetically
modified crops
(Higher/Supplement)
Give 2 disadvantages of genetically modified crops
(Higher/Supplement)

- The new genes can easily spread to

other plants in the environment
- We don’t know what long term effects
GM crops cause on health