17 Biotechnology and Genomics

Antibiotic resistance

ability of an organism to be unaffected by an antibiotic's actions

Biomarker

individual protein that is uniquely produced in a diseased state

Biotechnology

use of biological agents for technological advancement

cDNA library

collection of cloned cDNA sequences

Cellular cloning

production of identical cell populations by binary fission

Chain termination method

method of DNA sequencing using labeled dideoxynucleotides to terminate DNA replication; also called the dideoxy method or the Sanger method

Clone

exact replica

Contig

larger sequence of DNA assembled from overlapping shorter sequences

Cytogenetic mapping

technique that uses a microscope to create a map from stained chromosomes

Deoxynucleotide

individual DNA monomer (single unit)

Dideoxynucleotide

individual DNA monomer that is missing a hydroxyl group (–OH)

DNA microarray

method to detect gene expression by analyzing many DNA fragments fixed to a glass slide or silicon chip

Expressed sequence tag (EST)

short STS that is identified with cDNA

False negative

incorrect test result that should have been positive

Foreign DNA

DNA that belongs to a different species or is artificially synthesized

Gel electrophoresis

technique used to separate molecules on the basis of size using electric charge

Gene targeting

method for altering the sequence of a specific gene by introducing the modified version on a vector

Gene therapy

technique used to cure inheritable diseases by replacing mutant genes with good genes

Genetic diagnosis

diagnosis of the potential for disease development by analyzing disease-causing genes

Genetic engineering

alteration of the genetic makeup of an organism

Genetic map

outline of genes and their location on a chromosome

Genetic marker

gene or sequence on a chromosome with a known location associated with a specific trait

Genetic recombination

DNA exchange between homologous chromosome pairs

Genetic testing

process of testing for the presence of disease-causing genes

Genetically modified organism (GMO)

organism whose genome has been artificially changed

Genome annotation

process of attaching biological information to gene sequences

Genome mapping

process of finding the location of genes on each chromosome

Genomic library

collection of cloned DNA representing all sequences and fragments from a genome

Genomics

study of entire genomes including the complete set of genes and their interactions

Host DNA

DNA present in the genome of the organism of interest

Linkage analysis

procedure that analyzes recombining genes to determine if they are linked

Lysis buffer

solution to break the cell membrane and release cell contents

Metabolome

complete set of metabolites related to an organism's genetic makeup

Metabolomics

study of small molecule metabolites in an organism

Metagenomics

study of multiple species' collective genomes in an environmental niche

Microsatellite polymorphism

variation between individuals in the sequence and number of microsatellite DNA repeats

Model organism

species used as a model to understand biological processes in other species

Molecular cloning

cloning of DNA fragments

Multiple cloning site (MCS)

site that multiple restriction endonucleases can recognize

Next-generation sequencing

group of automated techniques for rapid DNA sequencing

Northern blotting

transfer of RNA from a gel to a nylon membrane

Pharmacogenomics

study of drug interactions with the genome or proteome

Physical map

representation of the physical distance between genes or genetic markers

Polygenic

phenotypic characteristic caused by two or more genes

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

technique to amplify DNA

Probe

small DNA fragment to determine if the complementary sequence is present in a DNA sample

Protease

enzyme that breaks down proteins

Protein signature

set of uniquely expressed proteins in the diseased state

Proteome

entire set of proteins that a cell type produces

Proteomics

study of proteomes' function

Pure culture

growth of a single cell type in the laboratory

Radiation hybrid mapping

information obtained by fragmenting the chromosome with x-rays

Recombinant DNA

combining DNA fragments generated by molecular cloning that do not exist in nature

Recombinant protein

a gene's protein product derived by molecular cloning

Reproductive cloning

entire organism cloning

Restriction endonuclease

enzyme that can recognize and cleave specific DNA sequences

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)

variation in the length of DNA fragments generated by restriction endonucleases

Reverse genetics

method of determining a gene's