Image sources http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/6603/animal.htm and http://www.stanford.edu/group/Urchin/GIFS\c-urchin.gif
|
|
|
|
"From Sea Bed to Sick Bed": Heroes and Villains of the Sea. (Quotation from http://www.qmuseum.qld.gov.au/) BACKGROUND History The field of biotechnology itself has been around for centuries - thousand of years, in fact! Click here for a historical timeline of biotechnology. Definition Marine biotechnology can be described as "the sustainable commercial exploitation of marine organisms for the benefit of mankind" (from http://www.ftns.wau.nl/prock/research/Rene/Marine.htm). More specifically, it involves any technique that uses living marine organisms (or parts of these organisms) to make or modify products to improve plants or animals, or to develop micro-organisms for specific use" (from http:// www.flseagrant.org/science/library/fathom_magazine/volume-8_issue-1/biotechie.htm). As you work through this activity if you are unsure of any word meanings make the most of the Biotech glossary and use this link for commonly used biotechnology terms. Biodiversity According to the Committee on Marine Biotechnology (link Nat'l Academies Press, Marine Biotechnology in the Twenty-First Century: (2002), Front Matter), the world's oceans contain 34 of the 36 phyla of life represented. Much of this diversity is found in the macroscopic diversity of plants and animals that are adapted to all the regions of the world's oceans (polar, temperate and tropical). Extreme habitats and adaptation Animals living in marine environments can face extreme changes in salinity, temperature, oxygen, current, light and pressure. Some environments such as coral reefs and inter-tidal zones experience these changes daily with tidal fluctuations. Sponges, clams and molluscs are all examples of sessile invertebrates, meaning that they do not move, but are instead attached to a surface by adhesive material or body structure. These sessile invertebrates and/or their associated marine bacteria rely on production of naturally produced toxins (biotoxins) for defense against predators. These and other molecules have great potential to be used as pharmaceutical agents to combat human disease, or in industrial, commercial and environmental applications. Read more about protection and defense here. Benefits and limitations of marine biotechnology Many marine organisms are extremely fertile, producing tens of thousands of eggs and are therefore easily produced in mass numbers. The main difficulty in obtaining potentially useful compounds from marine organisms is being able to harvest the organism from its natural environment in sufficient quantities. Read about other concerns in Ocean Report. Questions View the following links and write down the answers to these background questions in your notebook. 1. What is marine biotechnology? The Scottish Association for Marine Science (United Kingdom) Maine Aquaculture Innovation Centre 2. Why study marine organisms for biomedical research? Australian Institute of Marine Science National Sea Grant College (USA) - page 1 and 2 College of Biotechnology, University of Saskatchewan 3. Describe how the following laboratory techniques are used to identify and develop marine products? Recombinant DNA technology - link #1 Recombinant DNA technology - link #2 Recombinant DNA technology - link#3 4. What is involved in moving from drug development to approval stages? Recombinant DNA technology - link#4 5. Give 5 examples each of marine bioproducts that are commercially available versus those that that are under development as drug candidates. Scientific relevance You will soon use this website to learn about the many and varied uses of marine organisms - from medical diagnosis to evolutionary biology to cleaning up the environment. Now, back to the question at the start of this web site....what is the link between this sulphurous smoker found on the ocean floor......... and one of the most important scientific discoveries of all time?
The answer is that the thermophilic (or heat-loving) bacteria that live in these hydrothermal vents contain enzymes which are the basis of a billion dollar industry! These bacteria, called Thermus aquaticus, can withstand temperatures up to 100 degrees Celsius. They are able to do so because their enzymes work in high temperatures, unlike other enzymes that stop working above 40 degrees Celsius. Thermus aquaticus were originally discovered in hot thermal springs. An enzyme extracted from these bacteria, called TAQ polymerase, is the essential enzyme for the polymerase chain reaction, or PCR. As you will read below, "PCR is an artificial technique for something that living critters do every day -- replicate DNA. But PCR is the rocket ship of replication, since it allows you to multiply a piece of DNA billions of times in a few hours". Thermus aquaticus was first discovered in the hot springs of Yellowstone Park around the 1960's. Read the following two articles to get some background information on these amazing organisms: Bacteria at Hydrothermal Vents Polymerase chain reaction Read about how PCR works, then look at this animated visual of the PCR reaction taking place. Applications of PCR 1. The Human Genome Project and Human Health 2. DNA FingerPrinting and The Law Scientific American Articles: Detecting food-bourne illnesses DNA 'feather-printing' to protect parrots 3. Evolutionary Relationships and "Ancient DNA" Now it is time to learn about other applications. Proceed to the Tasks page.
|
|
Copyright © March 2003.Website designed by Bronwyn Atcheson, Student at Queensland University of Technology, Queensland. Email b.atcheson@student.qut.edu.au |
