Read each question carefully. Write your response in the space provided for each part of each question. Answers must be written out in paragraph form. Outlines, bulleted lists, or diagrams alone are not acceptable and will not be scored. White blood cells called B cells produce proteins that can be used for the treatment of certain illnesses. However, these B cells do not live for very long on their own. To keep the B cells growing for a long time in laboratories, scientists fuse the B cells with cancer cells (fused B-cancer cells) that do grow for a very long time. The particular cancer cells used for the fusion are treated with chemicals that make them unable to produce the nitrogenous bases adenine and guanine, but the B cells with which they are fused do produce these nitrogenous bases. The scientists grow the large fused B-cancer cells in a growth medium that contains necessary nutrients for the cells and includes a source of carbon.

(a) Describe the role of carbon in biological systems.

Carbon is the backbone of all biological molecules. It is the most essential element for life processes.

Carbon is the most important element required in nature. This is because all organic molecules that occur in nature all contain carbon atoms. It lies at the backbone of all biological molecules.

Bio molecules such as sugars, enzymes, proteins, fats etc all contain long chains of carbon thereby showing that there can not be any life form without carbon.

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The role of carbon in biological systems is to allow the formation of organic molecules, in addition to providing energy for living beings.

Explanation:

Carbon is the fourth most abundant element on earth and one of the main elements of the viological systems, and its presence is essential for life on the planet to be maintained.

Carbon is necessary for all living beings, without exception. This is because it is used in the construction of organic molecules without which no living thing can survive, in addition to providing energy when it participates in sugar molecules, such as carbohydrates.