Answer the following questions:
(a) [(i)] Explain how some strains of Bacillus thuringiensis produce proteins that kill certain insects such as lepidopterans but do not kill the Bacillus.
[(ii)] How is the above mechanism exploited for the production of Bt cotton plant by biotechnologists?
(b) [(i)] Explain how the amplification of gene of interest is done using PCR.
[(ii)] State two applications of the desired amplified fragment of DNA.
Biotechnology is the technology that utilizes biological systems, living organisms, or parts of this to develop or create different products.
For example, brewing and baking bread fall within the concept of biotechnology (use of yeast (= living organism) to produce the desired product).
Alternative to conventional farming: A possible solution is the use of genetically modified crops which is an alternative path to conventional farming.
In the area of healthcare, recombinant DNA technological processes have made an immense impact which enables the mass production of safe and more effective therapeutic drugs.
A collection of methods that allows the correction of a gene defect that has been diagnosed in a child/embryo is called Gene Therapy.
For editing genomes, CRISPR is a simple yet powerful tool which allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene function.