Question

Assertion : $USA's$ patent of brazzein is an example of biopiracy.
Reason : Brazzein a protein obtained from West African plant, Pentadiplandra brazzeana and the gene encoding it has been patented by $USA$.

• A. If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion
• B. If both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion
• C. If assertion is true but reason is false
• D. If both assertion and reason are false

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

Brazzein is produced by Pentadiplandra brazzeana and is approximately $2,000$ times as sweet as sugar. It is used as a low calorie sweetener. Local people have been using the super sweet berries from their plants for centuries but protein brazzein and the gene coding it is patented in $U.S.A.$ It is proposed to transfer the brazzein gene into maize and express it in maize kernels from where it can be easily extracted. This is an example of biopiracy.