Cell Biology and Biotechnology

• Cell is a fundamental unit of life.
• Tissue is a collection of cells with specific functions.
• Stem cells are special types of cells that give rise to all other types of cells in the body of multicellular organisms and play an important role in wound healing.
• Stem cells are present in the umbilical cord by which the foetus is joined to the uterus of the mother, in the blastocyst stage of embryonic development, in red bone marrow and adipose connective tissue of adult human beings, and can be obtained from the body of adult person too.
• Stem cells can be used for regenerative therapy to replace dead cells in conditions like diabetes, myocardial infarction, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, etc.
• Stem cells can be used to produce blood cells required in conditions like anaemia, thalassemia, leukemia, etc.
• Stem cells can be used in organ transplantation in case of failure of organs like kidney and liver, those can be produced with the help of stem cells and transplanted.
• Stem cells can form any type of cell, different types of tissues and perform different functions in the body during further development.
• Stem cells are present for a longer duration in some parts of the body.
• Embryonic cells before differentiation are called embryonic stem cells.
• Cells of different organs like osteocytes (bone cells), hepatocytes (liver cells), and neurons are formed due to differentiation.
• Each person has a pair of kidneys, and a person can donate another one.
• Concepts like organ donation and body donation have emerged recently after realization that such organs can be used to save the life of other needful persons.
• Many government and social organizations are working towards increasing the awareness about body donation.
• Various organs in the human body either become less efficient or completely functionless due to various reasons like aging, accidents, infections, disorders, etc.
• Skin from certain parts of the body can also be donated.
• Various factors like blood group, diseases, disorders, age, etc. of the donor and recipient need to be paid attention during transplantation.
• A liberal view behind the concept of organ and body donation is that after death, our body should be useful to other needful persons so that their miserable life would become comfortable.
• Internet is my friend, visit the websites- http://www.who.int/transplantation/organ/en/ & www.organindia.org/approaching-the-transplant/ and collect more information about ‘brain dead’, organ donation and body donation.
• If stem cells are collected well before the beginning of differentiation on the 14th day, they can transform themselves into desired type of cells, tissues, and organs.
• Availability of donor is an important requirement in organ transplantation.
• If a person gets the necessary organ under such conditions, its life can be saved.
• Stem cells have the property of pleuripotency, which means they can transform themselves into desired type of cells, tissues, and organs.
• Embryonic stem cells are collected during the division of the zygote, which is converted into an embryo.
• Stem cells are of two types: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.
• Stem cells are primary type of undifferentiated cells with self-multiplying ability and they are parent cells of all types of human cells.
• Cells of the embryo undergo repeated mitotic divisions during the first 14 days of conception.
• 220 different types of cells in the human body are formed from single type cells i.e. embryonic stem cells.
• Stem cell research in biotechnology has the potential of bringing about fundamental changes in medical science.
• Organs like liver, heart, eyes cannot be donated during life time, but can be donated after death only.
• Awareness about these concepts is increasing in our country and people are voluntarily donating their bodies.
• 8.8 Milk processing and milk products are a part of dairy business.
• Farm ponds and the fishes are common in East Asian countries.
• Government of India has vowed to increase the production by encouraging the people for pisciculture by launching the program ‘Nil-Kranti Mission-2016’ (NKM-16) with 50% to 100% subsidies.
• Pesticides are a type of poison that enters the food-web through water and food and its bio-magnification occurs.
• Insecticides are used on a large scale despite the natural immunity of plants, causing harmful effects on human and environment.
• The upper layer of the soil essential in agriculture is formed due to humus formation.
• Dr. Verghese Kurien put the cooperative dairy movement of Anand, Gujarat at all time high status.
• In soil-less farming i.e hydroponics, liquid chemical fertilizers are used, but there are more harmful effects of liberal use of chemical fertilizers.
• Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, National Citrus Research Institute, Nagpur and allied branches, Indian Institute of Sciences, National Pomegranate Research Institute, Solapur are some of the institutes related with biotechnology.