Biotechnology and Its Application Class 12 Notes CBSE Biology Chapter 12 (Free PDF Download)

Section−A (1 Mark Questions)

1. ADA is an enzyme which is crucial for the immune system to function. What is the full form of ADA?

Ans. Adenosine deaminase is an enzyme which is crucial for the immune system to function

2. Name a molecular diagnostic technique to detect the presence of a pathogen in its early stage of infection. 

Ans. Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) detects the presence of a pathogen in its early stage of infection. 

3. What does Bt in Bt cotton stands for?

Ans. Bt in Bt cotton stands for Bacillus thuringiensis.

4. What was the name of first transgenic cow?

Ans. First transgenic cow was named Rosie. 

5. What does GEAC stands for?

Ans. GEAC stands for Genetic Engineering Approval Committee.

Section−B (2 Mark Questions)

6. What is Biopiracy? 

Ans. Biopiracy refers to the use of bio-resources by multinational companies and other organisations without proper authorisation from the countries and people concerned without compensatory payment.

7. Answer the following questions.

(i) For which Indian rice variety was patent filed by a USA company?

(ii) How are ‘cry’ and ‘CRY’ different from each other?

Ans. (i) Basmati rice is an Indian rice variety for which the patent was files by a USA company. 

(ii) ‘cry’ is the gene that encodes for ‘CRY’ protein (Bt toxin).

8. What are the main objectives of GEAC?

Ans. GEAC is Genetic Engineering Approval Committee. It is an Indian government organization. Its main objectives are as follows:

• To examine the validity of genetic modification research.

• To inspect whether the use of genetically modified crops is safe for public use or not.
  
  

9. Name the following questions.

(i) Name the source organism of the gene cryIAc and its target pest.

(ii) Name the cry genes that control cotton bollworm and com borer respectively.

Ans. (i) Source of gene crylAc is Bacillus thuringiensis and its target pest-cotton bollworms. 

(ii) The cry genes that control Cotton boll worm are cryIAc and cryIIAb, and Corn borer is controlled by the gene cryIAb.

10. Why should not the patent on Basmati have gone to an American company?

Ans. The patent on Basmati shouldn’t have gone to an American company for the following reasons:

• The Basmati rice variety traditionally belongs to India.

• The patented variety of Basmati was derived from ‘Indian farmer’s variety’.

 11. Answer the following questions.

(i) What are genetically modified organisms (GMO)? 

(ii) Give an example of GMO.

Ans. (i) Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are those organisms (i.e., plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination.

(ii) Golden rice is an example of GM crop.

NCERT Revision Notes for Class 12 Biology Chapter 12 – Biotechnology and its applications Notes

Biotechnology

• The use of biology to develop technologies and products for the welfare of human beings is known as biotechnology. 

• It has various applications in different fields such as therapeutics, diagnostics, processed food, waste management, energy production, genetically modified crops, etc.
  
  

Fig.1. Different applications of biotechnology

Biotechnological Application in Agriculture 

• Biotechnology has different applications in agriculture. 

• It can be used in agrochemicals, organic agriculture, and genetically engineered crop-based agriculture. 

• To produce genetically modified organisms it can be used. Genetically modified organisms (GMO) can be obtained by alteration in their genetic material. 

• A different application of genetically modified organisms is- 

1. Production of crops that are resistant to abiotic factors such as heat, cold, etc. 

2. Pest-resistant crops. 

3. Help to reduce post-harvest losses. 

4. Minerals can be used by the plants efficiently. 

5. Food with enhanced nutritional values.
   

• The Formation of pest-resistant plants is the most important application in the field of biotechnology. Bacillus thuringiensis is a bacterium that produces a Bt toxin that has insecticidal activity. Gene that codes for Bt toxin can be isolated and inserted into the plant to provide insect or pest resistance. 

• Bt cotton: Bacillus thuringiensis produces certain proteins that can kill insects such as lepidopterans, coleopterans, and dipterans. They produce insecticidal protein, which when entering the body of the insect will become active. This toxin then binds to the midgut produces causes cells to swell and eventually the death of the insect. These Bt genes are isolated and inserted into cotton plants. Such cotton is known as Bt cotton. The gene that codes for an insecticidal protein is known as cryIAc and cryptic.
  
  

Fig.2. Bt cotton

Pest Resistant Plants 

• Various pests affect the plants which cause loss as well as a decrease in the yield of the plant. 

• A nematode Meloidogyne incognita infects the roots of tobacco plants and causes a decrease in the yield of the plant. To prevent this, RNA  interference technology was used. This method involves silencing a specific mRNA due to a complementary dsRNA molecule. This inhibits the translation of the mRNA.  

Fig.3. Development of pesticide-resistant plants 

Biotechnology Applications in Medicine 

• Biotechnology has contributed a lot to the medicine industry. The use of biotechnology in medicine is known as medicinal biotechnology. 

• They provide methods for the formation of genetically modified insulin known as humulin. In the treatment of a large number of diabetes patients, humulin helps a lot. Earlier insulin was extracted from the pancreas of the slaughtered animals such as cattle and pigs. Such insulin has a chance to cause allergies in humans. 

• The most important issue with the production of insulin is the formation of mature and assembled insulin.
  
  

Fig.4. Human Insulin Production

Gene Therapy 

• To correct heredity diseases, gene therapy is used. The correction of gene defects is known as gene therapy. 

• In gene therapy, a normal gene is inserted into the individual or in an embryo to replace the abnormal gene. 

• The first gene therapy was given in the year 1990 to a 4-year-old girl for Adenosine deaminase deficiency. This deficiency disease was treated earlier through bone marrow transplantation and enzyme replacement therapy. But both strategies are not completely curative.
  
  

Fig.5. Gene therapy 

Molecular Diagnosis

• It helps in disease diagnosis by various techniques such as ELISA, PCR, and recombinant DNA technology. 

• ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is based on antigen and antibody reactions to detect different diseases. 

• PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is a technique to amplify specific DNA segments. This technique helps in detecting HIV in AIDS patients.
  
  

Transgenic Animals  

• Animals that have their DNA manipulated are known as transgenic animals. For example, rats, rabbits, pigs, sheep, etc.  

• These animals help to understand how genes are regulated and how they help in the development of animals. 

• It helps to study how genes are responsible for the development of various diseases. 

• They can be used to manufacture useful chemicals. They can also be used for the testing of drugs and vaccines.
  
  

Fig.6. Formation of transgenic animals

• Biotechnology in The Production of Antibiotics 

• Plants are used for the development of antibiotics to be used for humans as well as for animals also. 

• It helps in the production of antibiotics, vaccines, and artificial hormones for hormone therapies.  

• Ethical Issues: 

• The manipulation of living organisms by man is similar to man “playing God”. It is a tool bearing great power and therefore gets immense responsibility. 

• The genetic modification of any organism can not always be completely predictable. It may cause many problems in the organism. 

• The impact of the introduction of a GMO into an ecosystem is not completely known. It could have unpredictable results. 

• GEAC: Genetic Engineering Approval Committee is a committee set up by the Indian Government to oversee all decisions regarding GM research and the safety of GMOs for public use. 

• Biopiracy: The use of bio-resources found in any country by commercial and multinational companies and other organizations without taking appropriate authorization and permission from the countries and their people concerned and also without making the compensatory payment is biopiracy.
  
  

Revision Notes Class 12 Biology Chapter 12

Class 12 notes biotechnology and its applications are one of the few reliable and accurate sources of study material available online. This chapter comes under Unit IX- Biotechnology and its applications. Students are advised to go through the NCERT class 12 revision notes biology chapter 12 solution pdf and the NCERT textbook to prepare for their final examinations.

Given below is the list of subtopics under Chapter 12. Biology class 12 chapter 12 revision notes pdf contains detailed explanation and solutions of this chapter.

• Application of Biotechnology.

• Gene therapy.

• Vaccine production.

• Genetic modification.

• Patents.

• Biosafety issues.

• Biopiracy.
  
  

Class 12 Biology Biotechnology and its Applications Revision Notes

NCERT solutions chapter 12 class 12 biology revision notes contain detailed and logical explanation to give students a clear understanding of the chapter constituents. Also, given below is a brief explanation of some of the important topics covered in this chapter. Students can refer to NCERT solutions chapter 12 class 12 biology revision notes for further readings.

• Biotechnology

It is defined as the field of study of microorganisms, plant and animal cells for the production of products that are useful for human processes. Biotechnology is a wide field of study and has applications in the field of agriculture, energy productions, genetic modification, medicines and gene therapy.

• Gene Therapy

For a person born with a hereditary disease, that is passed down to them through defective genes, gene therapy is used to treat the person.

In the process of gene therapy, the defective gene is replaced with a functional gene to allow bodily functions to function normally. It is used to treat the disease directly at the tissue and cellular level.

• Transgenic Animals

These are animals whose DNA strands are manipulated for research purposes. They help the researchers in understanding the function of genes and their regulation in animals. These are commonly used in drug testing and making vaccines. These help in studying the diseases by understanding the role of genes in contributing to the development of a disease. More and more biological products are being produced based on this study of the role of genes.

• Molecular Diagnosis

Biotechnology helps in the diagnosis of harmful diseases in organisms. With the help of diagnosing techniques like PCR, recombinant DNA technology and EUSA, different diseases are diagnosed in different organisms.

Detection of HIV in aids patients is possible due to Polymerase chain reaction or commonly known as PCR tests.

Other Related Links

Class 12 students are suggested to access the following chapter wise Class 12 Biology revision notes to ace the Biology subject.

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