Lab study guide

Koch's Postulate

Series of tests used to prove a microbe causes a disease

1. The microorganism must be found in all organisms suffering from the disease, but not in healthy organisms.

2. The microorganism must be isolated from a diseased organism and grown in pure culture.

3. The cultured microorganism should cause disease when introduced into a healthy organism.

4. The microorganism must be again isolated from the inoculated, diseased experimental host and identified as identical to the original specific causative agent.

Genetic Engineering

Intentional modification of an organism's genetic material

Vector

Vehicle that transports a gene to a cell

Germline Gene Therapy vs Somatic Gene Therapy

G: Alters the DNA of a gamete or fertilized ovum -> all cells, would be passed down

S: targets the cells that an illness affects -> only the patient being treated

How do scientists know which vector to use?

To decide what to use scientists look at what best fits their use, (efficiency, length, responses, etc)

In Vivo

Gene and vector are inserted directly into the body (more invasive)

Ex Vivo

Cells altered outside the body and then injected into the bloodstream

What is the purpose and how does CRISPR work?

CRISPR is used to cut DNA at a certain location. CRISPR splices out a copy of DNA and runs it with Cas9 until it finds a match and then removes the affected region

Pros of CRISPR

Cure diseases, create organisms better suited for human use

Cons of CRISPR

Considered unethical, misuse could be dangerous

GMO

A GMO is a genetically modified organism whose genetic material has been modified using genetic engineering.

Genetically Modified vs Spontaneous Mutation

Genetically modified is deliberate and unnatural modification (genetic engineering) Spontaneous mutation is a natural difference in the genetic sequence

Pros of GMOs

Cost-effective, higher crop yields, healthier, resistant to stressors

Cons of GMOs

Harm organisms, human health concerns, environmental impact

Electrophoresis Machine

Separates DNA molecules using electrical currents

Analyzing DNA with Electrophoresis

Separates DNA molecules based on size and charge for analysis (like fragmentation)

Restriction Enzyme

Enzyme that cuts DNA at specific sequences

Blunt Ends

Equal sides with no unpaired bases, can be joined to other blunt fragments (tends to be nonspecific since there are no sticky ends as recognition sites.)

Sticky Ends

One side longer with unpaired bases, can be joined to other sticky ends (joins are specific to recognition sites)