GPAT Biotechnology Syllabus

Biotechnology syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Biotechnology in GPAT, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Plant Cell and Tissue Culture

   2 topics

   • Introduction to Plant Cell and Tissue Culture
   • Techniques in Plant Cell and Tissue Culture
2. 2

   Fermentation Technology and Industrial Microbiology

   2 topics

   • Industrial Microbiology
   • Fermentation Process
3. 3

   Recombinant DNA Technology

   2 topics

   • Gene Cloning
   • PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)
4. 4

   Process and Applications

   2 topics

   • Bioprocess Engineering
   • Biotechnology Applications
5. 5

   Animal Cell Culture

   2 topics

   • Cell Culture Techniques
   • Cell Line Development
6. 6

   Biotechnology-Derived Products

   2 topics

   • Insulin Production
   • Vaccine Development

Biotechnology flashcards for GPAT

23 of 68 cards from the Biotechnology deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is plant tissue culture?

   The aseptic in vitro cultivation of plant cells, tissues, or organs on a nutrient medium under controlled conditions, based on the principle of cellular totipotency.

2. Define totipotency in the context of plant tissue culture.

   The inherent capacity of a single plant cell to divide and regenerate into a complete, whole plant.

3. What is a callus in plant tissue culture?

   An unorganized, undifferentiated mass of actively dividing parenchymatous cells formed on a culture medium, usually in response to wounding and hormones.

4. Which basal medium is most widely used for plant tissue culture?

   Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, developed in 1962, noted for its high concentration of nitrate, potassium, and ammonium salts.

5. Which two plant growth regulators are critical, and what does their ratio control?

   Auxins and cytokinins; a high auxin:cytokinin ratio promotes root formation, while a high cytokinin:auxin ratio promotes shoot formation (Skoog and Miller concept).

6. What is micropropagation?

   The rapid in vitro clonal multiplication of plants from small explants (shoot tips, nodes, meristems) to produce large numbers of genetically identical plantlets.

7. What is an explant?

   The piece of plant tissue or organ (e.g., shoot tip, leaf, node) excised and used to initiate a tissue culture.

8. What is somatic embryogenesis?

   The process by which somatic (non-sexual) cells develop into embryos (somatic embryos) that resemble zygotic embryos and can germinate into plants.

9. What is organogenesis in plant tissue culture?

   The de novo formation of organs such as shoots or roots from cultured cells or callus, regulated by the auxin-to-cytokinin balance.

10. What is the purpose of meristem culture, and what is its key advantage?

    Culturing the apical meristem to produce virus-free plants, since the meristematic dome is largely free of viral particles.

11. What is protoplast culture and somatic hybridization?

    Culture of cells whose walls are removed (protoplasts) by enzymes like cellulase/pectinase; fusing protoplasts of different species (somatic hybridization) yields hybrids bypassing sexual incompatibility.

12. What is hardening (acclimatization) in micropropagation?

    The gradual adaptation of in vitro plantlets to ex vitro greenhouse/field conditions (lower humidity, autotrophic nutrition) before transplanting to soil.

13. What are the stages of micropropagation according to Murashige?

    Stage 0: mother plant selection; Stage I: initiation/establishment; Stage II: shoot multiplication; Stage III: rooting; Stage IV: acclimatization (hardening).

14. What is anther culture used to produce?

    Haploid plants (and after chromosome doubling, homozygous diploids) by culturing anthers/pollen, useful for rapid production of pure breeding lines.

15. Which gelling agent is commonly used to solidify plant tissue culture media?

    Agar (a polysaccharide from seaweed), typically at 0.6-0.8%; alternatives include Gelrite/Phytagel.

16. What is industrial microbiology?

    The branch of applied microbiology that uses microorganisms in large-scale industrial processes to produce commercially valuable products such as antibiotics, enzymes, organic acids, and vaccines.

17. What is a primary metabolite, and give an example produced industrially?

    A compound essential for microbial growth produced during the log (trophophase), e.g., ethanol, lactic acid, amino acids like glutamic acid.

18. What is a secondary metabolite, and give an example?

    A compound not essential for growth, produced during the stationary phase (idiophase), e.g., antibiotics such as penicillin.

19. What is a strain improvement, and name two techniques used.

    Genetically modifying microbes to enhance product yield; techniques include mutation (UV/chemical mutagens) and recombinant DNA technology/protoplast fusion.

20. Which organism produces penicillin and which produces streptomycin?

    Penicillin is produced by Penicillium chrysogenum (notatum); streptomycin is produced by Streptomyces griseus.

21. What is fermentation in the industrial/microbiological sense?

    A biochemical process in which microorganisms grown in a bioreactor convert substrates into desired products under controlled conditions (not limited to anaerobic metabolism).

22. Distinguish batch, fed-batch, and continuous fermentation.

    Batch: all nutrients added at start, closed system; Fed-batch: nutrients fed incrementally during the run; Continuous: fresh medium added and product withdrawn continuously at steady state.

23. What are the typical phases of a microbial batch growth curve?

    Lag phase, log (exponential) phase, stationary phase, and death (decline) phase.

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