Biotechnology for Beginners

Front Matter
Contributors
Copyright
Foreword by Former US Editor, Arnold Demain†
Letter from the Editor
Preface
Quotes
Some Opening Thoughts by Ernst Peter Fischer: Enchanting the World
A Personal Foreword by Tom Rapoport
Boxes
Beer, Bread, and Cheese
The Tasty Side of Biotechnology
In the Beginning, There Was Beer and Wine—Nurturing Civilization
Yeasts—The Secret Behind Alcoholic Fermentation
Now as Ever, Beer Is Brewed From Yeast, Water, Malt, and Hops
Cells Work on Solar Energy
For Yeast, Alcohol Has Nothing to Do With Enjoyment, But All With Survival
Highly Concentrated Alcohol Is Obtained by Distillation
Bacterially Produced Acidic Preservatives
Coffee, Cocoa, Vanilla, Tobacco—Fermentation for Enhanced Pleasure
An Alliance of Molds and Bacteria in Cheese Production
Sake and Soy Sauce
What Exactly Is Fermentation?
Cited and Recommended Literature
Useful Weblinks
Enzymes
Molecular Supercatalysts for Use at Home and in Industry
Enzymes Are High-Performing and Highly Specific Biocatalysts
Lysozyme—The First Enzyme to be Understood in Structure and Function Down to Minute Molecular Detail
The Role of Cofactors in Complex Enzymes
Animals, Plants, and Microorganisms as Enzyme Sources
Extracellular Hydrolases Degrade Biopolymers Into Smaller Manageable Units
Amylases Are Used for Brewing, Baking, and Desizing
Pectinases Increase Fruit and Vegetable Juice Production
Biological Detergents—The Most Important Application Area of Hydrolytic Enzymes
Proteases for Tenderizing Meat and Bating Leather
Immobilization—Reusing Valuable Enzymes
Glucose Isomerase and Fructose Syrup—Boosting the Sweetness of Sugar
Immobilized Enzymes in Human and Animal Food Production
Making Use of Cofactor Regeneration—Enzyme Membrane Reactors
Immobilized Cells
Cited and Recommended Literature
Useful Weblinks
The Wonders of Gene Technology
DNA—The Double Helix Is a Physical Carrier of Genetic Material
DNA Polymerases Catalyze the Replication of the DNA Double Strand
Not All Genes Are Encrypted in DNA: RNA Viruses Use Single-Stranded RNA
Deciphering the Genetic Code
The Human Genome— A Giant 23-Volume Encyclopedia
The DNA Code Deciphered—Artificial RNA Decodes the Codons
DNA Sites Around the Structural Genes Control the Expression of Genes
Ribosomes—Protein Production Plants Inside the Cell: Giant RNA and Protein Molecules
Recombination—A Genetic Reshuffling of Cards
Plasmids—Ideal Vectors for Genetic Material
The geneticist counts, the biochemist purifies.”
Scissors and Glue at a Molecular Level—Restriction Endonucleases and DNA Ligases
First Experiments in Gene Technology—Croaking Bacteria?
How to Obtain Genes
Human Insulin From Bacteria?
Insulin Synthesis in Humans
Rat Proinsulin—The Beginnings of Genetic Engineering
DNA-Hybridization—How to Find Bacteria Using DNA Probes
A Slight Diversion: Somatostatin—The First Human Protein Obtained From Bacteria
How Enzymes Turn Porcine Insulin Into Human Insulin
Eureka! The First Genetically Engineered Insulin Is Produced
Asilomar—How Dangerous Is Modern Gene Technology?
Human Proinsulin Obtained From a Single E. coli Strain
Baker’s Yeast for Proinsulin Production
Artificial Insulin Variants (Muteins) Obtained by Protein Engineering
Genetically Modified Mammalian Cells for the Production of Modified Complex Proteins
Cited and Recommended Literature
Useful Weblinks
White Biotechnology
Cells as Synthetic Factories
The Overview Problem
Tactical Adaptation
Strategic Adaptation: Enzyme Production on Demand
An Allosteric Molecular Computer—Glutamine Synthetase
Catabolite Repression or Fishing for Polymerase
Mold Replacing Lemons
Overproduction of Lysine—How Mutants Outwit the Feedback Inhibition of Aspartate Kinase
l-Glutamate—“Levorotatory” Soup Seasoning in Abundance
Chemical Synthesis Versus Microbial Production
l-Ascorbic Acid
Aspartame—Sweet Success of a Dipeptide Ester
Immobilized Cells Producing Amino Acids and Organic Acids
Mutations as a Way of Targeting Microbial Programming
Penicillium notatum—Alexander Fleming’s Miraculous Fungus
Screening—Biotechnologists in Search of Molds
What’s on the Microbial Menu?
A Modern Biofactory
Heat, Cold, and Dry Conditions Keep Microbes at Bay
Downstream Processing
Streptomycin and Cephalosporins—The Next Generation of Antibiotics
The Race Against Microbial Resistance
Cyclosporin—A Microbial Product Used in Transplants
Steroid Hormones—Cortisone and the Contraceptive Pill
Cited and Recommended Literature
Useful Weblinks
Viruses, Antibodies, Vaccines, and Cancer Therapy
Viruses—Borrowed Life
How Viruses Attack Cells
How the Body Defends Itself Against Infections—Humoral Immune Response Through Antibodies
Cellular Immune Response: Killer T-Cells
The First Vaccination: Cowpox Against Smallpox
Contemporary Vaccination
Live Vaccines
Monoclonal Antibodies
Catalytic Antibodies
Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies: Today’s Magic Bullets
Recombinant Antibodies
Recombinant Antibody Libraries
Antibodies With Their Gene in a Backpack—Phage Display
Phage Display for Proteins and Antibodies
Ongoing Hope for Cancer Patients—From Targeted Therapies to Precision Oncology
Cited and Recommended Literature
Useful Weblinks
Environmental Biotechnology
From One-Way Streets to Merry-Go-Round
Clean Water—A Bioproduct
Aerobic Water Purification—Sewage Farms, Trickling Filters, and Activated Sludge
Biogas
Biogas Could Save Forests!
Biogas in Industrial Countries—Using Liquid Manure
Fuel Growing in the Fields
Ananda Chakrabarty’s Oil-Guzzlers
Sugar and Alcohol From Wood
Basic Chemicals From Biomass?
Silent Mining
A New Life for Tired Oil Wells?
Bioplastics—From Dead End to Merry-Go-Round
Cited and Recommended Literature
Useful Weblinks
Green Biotechnology
Microbes Are Edible
Algae and Cyanobacteria
Single-Cell Protein: The Hope for Cheap Sources of Protein
Mycoprotein Is a Success With Consumers as a Plant Protein
“Green” Biotechnology at the Doorstep
Fields in a Test Tube: In Vitro Plant Breeding
Meristem Culture
Haploid Cultures: Anthers and Ovaries
Callus and Suspension Cultures
Plant Cells in a Bioreactor Produce Active Substances
What Are the Active Substances From Plants That Will Follow Shikonin?
Agrobacterium—A Pest as Genetic Engineer
Biolistic Gene Transfer: DNA Shot From a Gun
Transgenic Plants: Herbicide Resistance
Biological Insecticides
Blue Carnations and Antimush Tomatoes
Danger From Genetically Modified Food?
Should Genetically Modified Food Be Labeled?
Gene Pharming
Transgenic Plants—A Heated Debate
Tropical Palms in Snow and Ice?
Dead Bacteria in Snow Guns Safeguard Skiing Holidays
Cited and Recommended Literature
Useful Weblinks
Embryos, Clones, and Transgenic Animals
Artificial Insemination
Embryo Transfer and In Vitro Fertilization
Animals Threatened With Extinction Could Be Saved by Embryo Transfer
Chimeric Animals Have At Least Four Genetic Parents
Transgenic Animals—From Giant Mouse to Giant Cow?
Growth Hormones for Cows and Pigs
Gene “Pharming”—Valuable Human Proteins in Milk and Eggs
Transgenic Fish—From GloFish to Giant Trout
Knockout Mice
Xenotransplantation
Cloning—Mass Production of Twins
Clones of Frogs and Newts
Dolly—The Breakthrough in Animal Cloning
Difficulties in the Cloning Process
Cloning Cats—Parental Variations
What About Humans? Cloning, IVF, and PGD
The Embryo Yielding Its Secret
Cited and Recommended Literature
Useful Weblinks
Myocardial Infarction, Cancer, and Stem Cells Biotechnology Is a Life Saver
Myocardial Infarction and Anticoagulants
Fibrinolysis Following Coronary Infarction: Using Enzymes to Dissolve Thrombi
Stroke: Help From the Vampire Enzyme
Genetically Engineered Factor VIII—Safe Help for Hemophiliacs
EPO for Kidney Patients and in Sports
Interferons for Fighting Viruses and Cancer
Interleukins
Cancer: Abnormal, Uncontrolled Cell Growth
New Cancer Treatments
Paclitaxel Against Cancer
Human Growth Hormone
Epidermal Growth Hormone—Wrinkles Disappear and Diabetic Feet Heal
Stem Cells, the Ultimate Fountain of Youth?
Gene Therapy
The Junk Yields Its Treasures: RNAi, RNA Interference
Cited and Recommended Literature
Useful Weblinks
Analytical Biotechnology and the Human Genome
Enzyme Tests for Millions of Diabetics
Biosensors
Microbial Sensors—Yeasts Measuring Water Pollution in 5 Minutes
Immunological Pregnancy Tests
AIDS Tests
Myocardial Infarction Tests
How Can h-FABP Recognition Be Visualized?
Point of Care (POC) Tests
How DNA Is Analyzed—Gel Electrophoresis Separates DNA Fragments According to Size
Life and Death—Genetic Fingerprinting in Establishing Paternity and Investigating Murders
DNA Markers—Short Tandem Repeats and SNPs
Polymerase Chain Reaction—Copying DNA on a Mega Scale
A New Lease of Life for Dinosaurs and Mammoths?
The Sequencing of Genes
Southern Blotting
Automatic DNA Sequencing
FISH—Identifying the Location on a Chromosome and the Number of Gene Copies
The Ultimate Biotechnological Achievement—The Human Genome Project
Genetic Genome Maps
Physical Genome Mapping
Which Method—Contig Versus Shot Gun?
The Human Genome Project—Where Do We Go From Here?
. . . And How Can the Sequence of the Genome Be Understood?
Pharmacogenomics
DNA Chips
Identifying the Causes of Disease—Gene Expression Profiles
Proteomics
MALDI TOF—A Gas From Protein Ions
Aptamers and Protein Chips
Quo vadis, Biotech?
Cited and Recommended Literature
Useful Weblinks
Glossary
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Credits
Abbreviations for Frequently Used Sources of Pictures/Cartoons
Foreword
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Table Antibodies
Name Index
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Subject Index
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IBC