Biotechnology Principles and Processes Test - 59

• The thermal cycler is a laboratory apparatus most commonly used to amplify segments of DNA via the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). 
• It is also known as a thermocycler, PCR machine or DNA amplifier.
•  Thermal cyclers may also be used in laboratories to facilitate other temperature-sensitive reactions, including but not limited to restriction enzyme digestion or rapid diagnostics. 
• Later, the PCR process was adapted to the use of thermostable DNA polymerase enzyme from Thermus aquaticus, which greatly simplified the design of the thermal cycler.
• So, the correct answer is 'Thermus aquaticus'

• Plasmids are the vectors that are used for the transfer of genes from the parent cell to the desired cell. 
• If we cut plasmid DNA and foreign DNA with the same restriction enzyme both will produce fragments with the same complementary sticky ends.
• Foreign DNA and a plasmid having complementary ends can be easily ligated using DNA ligase. 
  

Both wine and beer are essentially the products of the fermentation process - the fermented broth serves as the basis of the product. Other alcoholic beverages (whisky, rum, brandy) fall under the category of distilled spirits. Distillation is the process by which the alcohol is removed from the fermented broth (or wort) by heating the wort until the alcohol vaporizes, after which it is condensed. When almost pure alcohol is distilled from fermentation, the product is called as grain neutral spirits (GNS). 

The restriction point (R) is a point in the G$$_1$$ phase of an animal cell cycle. At this point the cell becomes committed and no extracellular proliferation stimulants are required. The cells require a protein to pass through the restriction point. This protein is known as the trigger point or the T-protein. There should be enough trigger protein to allow the cell to cross the checkpoint. 

Pollen culture (microspore culture) is a technique in which haploid plants are obtained from isolated pollen grains. Pollen or microspore culture is an in vitro technique by which the pollen grains, preferably at the uninucleate stage, are squeezed out aseptically from the intact anther and then cultured on nutrient medium where the microscope, without producing male gametes, develop into haploid embryoids or callus tissues that give rise to haploid plantlets by embryogenesis or organogenesis. Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated cell fusion is a simple and efficient technique used widely for the production of somatic cell hybrids and for nuclear transfer in mammalian cloning. Fusion can be performed between adherent and suspension cells or between adherent cells or suspension cells. Cytokinins are the key factor to induce the direct shoot regeneration. Azolla form a symbiotic relationship with the cyanobacterium, Anabaena azollae, which fixes atmospheric nitrogen, giving the plant access to the essential nutrient. Pectinase is an enzyme that breaks down pectin, a polysaccharide found in plant cell walls. Cellulases contribute to the enzymatic splitting of cellulose, a component of cell wall.

A gene gun is a system in which a particle is used to inject the genetic material directly into the host's genome. This method is known as biolistic particle delivery system which was originally designed for plant transformation. A metal particle is coated with the genetic material and transferred into the host cells to allow the foreign DNA get incorporated into the hosts' genome. The particles are generally made up of the inert materials like the gold or tungsten which are inert and does not react with the DNA. The particles are accelerated with force to enter into the cells and then the selectable markers are used to identify the cells that take up the transgene. 

Researchers in south Korea have produced a black-and-tan puppy named Snuppy that was cloned from an adult Afghan Hound. 

• A gene gun or a biolistic particle delivery system, originally designed for plant transformation, is a device for injecting cells with genetic information. 
• This device is able to transform almost any type of cell and is not limited to the genetic material of the nucleus: it can also transform organelles, including plastids.

Electroporation or electropermeabilization, is a molecular biology technique in which an electrical field is applied to cells in order to increase the permeability of the cell membrane, allowing chemicals, drugs, or DNA to be introduced into the cell. In molecular biology, the process of electroporation is often used to transform bacteria, yeast, or plant protoplasts by introducing new coding DNA.