Studied by 5 people
Selective breeding
the process by which desired traits of certain plants and animals are selected and passed on to their future generations
Hybridization
crossing parent organisms with different forms of a trait to produce offspring with specific traits (known as hybrids)
Inbreeding
process in which two closely related organisms are bred to have the desired traits and eliminate undesired traits in future generations
Exogenous DNA
DNA from another organism
Genome
the total DNA present in the nucleus of each cell
Restriction enzymes
proteins that recognize and bind to specific DNA sequences and cleave the DNA within the sequence
Test cross
involves breeding an organism that has the unknown genotype with one that is homozygous recessive for the desired trait
Genetic Engineering
involves manipulating the DNA of one organism in order to insert exogenous DNA
Exogenous DNA
DNA from another organism
Gel electrophoresis
process in which an electric current is used to separate the DNA fragments according to size
Restriction enzymes
proteins that recognize and bind to specific DNA sequences and cleave the DNA within the sequence
Recombinant DNA
the newly generated DNA molecule with DNA from different sources
Plasmid
small, circular, double-stranded DNA molecules that occur naturally in bacteria and yeast cells
DNA ligase
an enzyme that joins the two DNA fragments chemically
Transformation
process in which some of the bacterial cells take up the recombinant plasmid DNA
Cloning
process in which large numbers of identical bacteria, each containing the inserted DNA molecules, can be produced
Polymerase chain reaction
technique used to make millions of copies of a specific region of a DNA fragment
Biotechnology
the use of genetic engineering to find solutions to problems
Transgenic organisms
organisms which are genetically engineered by inserting a gene from another organism
DNA fingerprinting
process of separating these DNA fragments using gel electrophoresis to see specific band patterns unique to each individual
Bioinformatics
involves creating and maintaining databases of biological information
DNA microarrays
tiny microscopic slides or silicon chips that are spotted with DNA fragments
Identifying Genes
Researchers have identified genes by scanning the sequence of open reading frames (ORFs)
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
variations in the DNA sequence that occur when a single nucleotide in the genome is altered
HapMap Project
creation of a catalog of common genetic variations that occur in humans
Haplotypes
regions of linked variations in the human genome
Pharmacogenomics
study of how genetic inheritance affects the body’s response to drugs
Gene therapy
technique aimed at correcting mutated genes that cause human diseases
Genomics
study of an organism’s genome
Proteomics
large-scale study and cataloging of the structure and function of proteins in the human body
