bilogy

Restriction enzymes

Tools used in genetic engineering that cut DNA at specific sequences.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)

A fatal genetic disease caused by a mutation in the gene that encodes dystrophin, leading to muscle weakness and eventual inability to walk or breathe.

Gene-editing techniques

Methods developed to edit genes, such as using a harmless virus to deliver components to restore normal protein levels.

DNA profiling

A technique that analyzes the genetic basis of individuals through various factors, including the number of repeats of noncoding DNA and specific mutations.

Plasmids

Important genetic engineering tools that originate from bacteria.

Biotechnology

The manipulation of organisms or their components to make useful products, often referring to modern laboratory techniques for studying genetic material.

Recombinant plasmids

Plasmids that have been genetically engineered to include foreign DNA.

Gene V

The specific gene that codes for a protein of interest in gene cloning.

Vector

A gene carrier, often a plasmid, used in genetic engineering to transfer DNA.

Enzyme in DNA manipulation

An enzyme that cuts DNA at specific locations, used in the process of cloning genes.

Foreign DNA

DNA from another organism that is introduced into a plasmid for cloning purposes.

Base-pairing rules

The rules that govern how nucleotides pair in DNA, essential for the mixing of plasmid and target DNA.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Organisms that have been altered through genetic engineering to introduce new traits.

Bioinformatics

The application of computer technology to manage biological information, aiding in research and investigations.

Forensic science

A field that has been transformed by DNA profiling, allowing for the analysis of genetic material in criminal investigations.

Social, legal, and ethical issues

Concerns raised by the application of DNA technologies in society.

Bacterial plasmid

A circular DNA molecule found in bacteria, commonly used as a vector in genetic engineering.

Gene cloning

The process of making copies of a specific gene by inserting it into a plasmid.

E. coli

A bacterium commonly used as a source for plasmids in genetic engineering.

Muscle function

The role of dystrophin, a protein encoded by the gene affected in DMD, in maintaining muscle integrity.

Clinical trials

Research studies that test new treatments in humans, such as potential therapies for DMD.

Long-term effects

The outcomes of treatment that are monitored over an extended period, especially in gene therapy studies.

Recombinant DNA

DNA formed when scientists combine pieces of DNA from two different sources, often different species, in vitro to form a single DNA molecule.

Genetic Engineering

The direct manipulation of genes for practical purposes.

DNA Ligase

An enzyme that joins two DNA molecules by forming covalent bonds between adjacent nucleotides.

Plasmids

Small, circular DNA molecules that replicate separately from the larger bacterial chromosome and can carry a few genes.

DNA Cloning

The production of many identical copies of a target segment of DNA.

Transformation

The process by which a bacterium takes up plasmid DNA under the right conditions.

Gene Cloning

A type of DNA cloning that involves a gene-carrying segment of DNA.

Protein V

A hypothetical substance that a molecular biologist wants to manufacture on a large scale.

Gene of Interest

A relatively tiny segment embedded in a much longer DNA molecule that codes for a valuable product.

Pest-Resistance Gene

A gene present in one plant species that can be cloned and transferred into plants of another species.

Insulin

A recombinant protein given to diabetics.

Recombinant Bacterium

A bacterium that contains a recombinant DNA plasmid.

Toxic Waste Cleanup

A process where a gene is used to alter bacteria for cleaning up toxic waste.

Blood Clot Dissolution

A therapy where a protein is used to dissolve blood clots in heart attack treatment.

Gene Cloning Purposes

Copies of the gene itself can be used in additional genetic engineering projects or the protein product of the cloned gene can be harvested and used.

Cell Clone

A population of genetically identical cells that reproduce through repeated cell cycles.

Bacterial Plasmids

Plasmids that can easily be transferred into bacteria and are passed from one generation to the next.

Gene Insertion

The process of inserting genes into other organisms.

Marketable Quantities

The amount of protein V that is produced large enough for commercial sale.

E. coli Bacterium

A common bacterium used in genetic engineering and cloning processes.

Recombinant DNA

DNA that has been formed artificially by combining constituents from different organisms.

Restriction Enzymes

Bacterial enzymes that cut DNA at specific sequences, acting like molecular scissors.

Restriction Fragments

Pieces of DNA that result from the cutting of DNA by restriction enzymes.

Restriction Site

A specific short DNA sequence recognized and cut by a restriction enzyme, usually 4-8 nucleotide pairs long.

EcoRI

A specific restriction enzyme found in E. coli that recognizes the sequence GAATTC and cuts the sugar-phosphate backbone between A and G.

Sticky Ends

Single-stranded extensions of DNA fragments that are complementary and can base pair with each other.

DNA Ligase

An enzyme that creates new covalent bonds to join the sugar-phosphate backbones of DNA strands, making the union of DNA fragments permanent.

Nucleic Acid Probe

A labeled single-stranded DNA molecule used to find a specific gene or nucleotide sequence within a larger collection of DNA.

Hydrogen Bonds

Weak bonds that form between complementary base pairs, holding the two strands of DNA together.

Gene of Interest

A specific gene that is targeted for study or manipulation in genetic engineering.

Base Pairing

The specific hydrogen bonding between complementary nucleotides in DNA.

Methyl Groups

Chemical groups added to a cell's own DNA to protect it from being chopped up by restriction enzymes.

Hind III

A restriction enzyme that recognizes the sequence AAGCTT and cuts between the two A's.

Radioactive Isotope

A radioactive element used to label nucleic acid probes for detection of specific DNA segments.

Fluorescent Tag

A fluorescent marker used to label nucleic acid probes for visualization of specific DNA segments.

Gene Cloning

The process of making multiple copies of a specific gene.

Genetic Engineering

The direct manipulation of an organism's genes using biotechnology.

DNA Manipulation

The process of altering DNA sequences in a laboratory setting.

Bacterial Enzymes

Enzymes derived from bacteria that are used in various molecular biology techniques.

Complementary Sequence

A nucleotide sequence that is the reverse complement of another sequence, used in the synthesis of nucleic acid probes.

Mass of DNA

A large collection of DNA segments from which specific sequences can be isolated.

Precise Points

Specific locations within a DNA sequence where restriction enzymes cut.

Double-Stranded Fragments

Segments of DNA that consist of two complementary strands.

Single-Stranded Extensions

Unpaired nucleotide sequences that extend from double-stranded DNA after cutting.

Radioactive DNA probe

A tool that tags specific DNA molecules by hydrogen-bonding to complementary sequences in the gene of interest.

Bacterial colonies

Groups of bacteria that can be tagged on filter paper for easy identification if they carry the gene of interest.

DNA microarrays

A technique that uses nucleic acid probes to test the expression of many genes simultaneously.

Reverse transcriptase

A viral enzyme that synthesizes DNA from an RNA template.

mRNA

Messenger RNA that is isolated for cloning eukaryotic genes, which contain non-coding introns.

Complementary DNA (cDNA)

DNA synthesized from mRNA that represents only the subset of genes transcribed into mRNA.

Gene editing

The alteration of the nucleotide sequence of a gene inside a living cell to reveal its function or correct mutations.

CRISPR-Cas9 system

A powerful gene editing technique that allows specific genes to be edited within living cells.

Nucleotide sequence

The order of nucleotides in a DNA or RNA molecule that determines genetic information.

Spacer DNA

Short segments of DNA found between repetitive sequences in bacterial genomes that correspond to viral DNA.

Filter paper technique

A method where filter paper is pressed against bacterial colonies to collect cells for further analysis.

Chemical treatment in cloning

A process used to break open cells and separate DNA strands after collecting them on filter paper.

DNA polymerase

An enzyme that replicates DNA and is used to synthesize a second DNA strand during cloning.

Eukaryotic genes

Genes that typically contain non-coding introns and are cloned using mRNA in prokaryotic cells.

Transcription

The process by which cells produce mRNA from their genes within the nucleus.

Single-stranded DNA transcripts

DNA strands synthesized from mRNA during the cloning process.

Specialized cell functions

Functions specific to particular cell types, such as those in the brain or liver.

Gene of interest

The specific gene that researchers aim to study or clone.

Identification of colonies

The process of recognizing bacterial colonies that carry the desired gene after tagging.

Large amounts of gene product

The goal of growing cells from identified colonies to collect significant quantities of the gene's protein product.

Intron removal

The process necessary for cloning eukaryotic genes in prokaryotic cells that lack the machinery to remove introns.

Viral enzyme in cDNA production

The critical role of reverse transcriptase in synthesizing cDNA from mRNA.

Natural component of prokaryotic cells

The origin of the CRISPR-Cas9 system, discovered in bacterial genomes.

Cas protein

A bacterial protein that can identify and cut viral DNA, defending the bacterium against infection.

Cas9 protein

A particular Cas protein that cuts both strands of double-stranded DNA molecules.

Restriction enzymes

Enzymes that recognize and cut specific DNA sequences.

Guide RNA

A molecule that directs the Cas9 protein to cut a specific DNA sequence.

Gene editing

The process of altering the DNA sequence of a gene.

CRISPR-Cas9 system

A gene editing technology that uses the Cas9 protein and guide RNA to cut DNA at specific locations.

DNA repair enzymes

Enzymes that reconnect broken DNA strands, often inserting random nucleotides.

Knock out

To disable a given gene by cutting its DNA and allowing repair enzymes to render it nonfunctional.

Dystrophin

A protein essential for muscle function, whose mutation is linked to Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A genetic disease caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, leading to muscle degeneration.

Gene cloning

The process of making copies of a specific gene.