The CRISPR and Cas9 system is used for which purpose?
- A.Gene editing
- B.Measuring blood sugar
- C.Separating proteins
- D.Sterilising instruments
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, gene editing. The system comes from a defence mechanism of bacteria against viruses: a guide RNA takes the Cas9 protein to a chosen sequence in the DNA, Cas9 cuts both strands there, and the cell's own repair machinery then changes the sequence, so a gene can be switched off or corrected in place. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry of 2020 was awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna for developing the method. Option B is wrong because blood sugar is measured by a glucometer using the enzyme glucose oxidase. Option C is wrong because proteins are separated by electrophoresis and chromatography, not by this system. Option D is wrong because instruments are sterilised by an autoclave or by chemicals. The practical point is that editing changes a sequence in place, while older genetic engineering added a gene from outside.
Read the full article: Biotechnology and Its Applications: Notes and PYQs
Practice Questions
View allWhich enzyme cuts DNA at a specific recognition sequence and is therefore called molecular scissors?
- A.DNA ligase
- B.Restriction endonuclease
- C.DNA polymerase
- D.Reverse transcriptase
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A restriction endonuclease recognises a short palindromic sequence in DNA and cuts both strands there, leaving sticky ends that can pair with another piece cut by the same enzyme; Hind II was the first such enzyme to be discovered and EcoRI from Escherichia coli is the most widely used.
Read the full explanation →Which bacterium is used as a natural vector to transfer genes into plant cells?
- A.Escherichia coli
- B.Agrobacterium tumefaciens
- C.Bacillus thuringiensis
- D.Rhizobium leguminosarum
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This soil bacterium naturally transfers a part of its tumour inducing plasmid, called the Ti plasmid, into the cells of a dicotyledonous plant and causes crown gall disease; genetic engineers disarm the plasmid, insert the gene they want and use the bacterium as a vector, which is why it is…
Read the full explanation →The insect resistance gene of Bt cotton is obtained from which organism?
- A.A virus
- B.A soil bacterium
- C.A fungus
- D.An alga
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The genes called cry genes are taken from Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium of the soil that forms protein crystals during its spore stage.
Read the full explanation →Golden Rice is a genetically modified variety enriched with which substance?
- A.Iron
- B.Beta carotene
- C.Lysine
- D.Vitamin C
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Golden Rice carries genes that let the grain make beta carotene, the orange pigment that the human body converts into vitamin A, and the colour of the grain gives the variety its name; the aim is to reduce night blindness and childhood blindness in populations whose diet is mainly rice.
Read the full explanation →Which heat stable enzyme is used in the polymerase chain reaction?
- A.Taq polymerase
- B.DNA ligase
- C.EcoRI
- D.Lysozyme
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The polymerase chain reaction repeats three steps, denaturation at a high temperature, annealing of short primers and extension of the new strand, so the enzyme must survive near boiling water; Taq polymerase, obtained from the bacterium Thermus aquaticus of hot springs, does exactly that and lets a single DNA segment…
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