AP Biology Chapter 20 - Biotechnology, Campbell 8th ed.

recombinant DNA

2 strands of DNA engineered to mesh together to make a new strand

biotechnology

manipulation of organisms or their components to make useful products

genetic engineering

the direct manipulation of genes for practical purposes

plasmid

circular DNA that replicates separately from the bacterial chromosome

gene cloning

making multiple copies of a single gene

restriction enzymes

they snip sugar phosphate backbones to create "sticky ends"

restriction site

the specific cutting site of a plasmid

restriction fragment

a DNA segment that results from the cutting of a restriction enzyme

sticky end

the end off of a restriction fragment

DNA ligase

glues restriction fragments together

cloning vector

A gene carrier/plasmid that transfers DNA from a foreign cell or test tube to another cell

genomic library

a complete set of plasmid-carrying cell clones, each carrying copies of a particular segment from the initial genome

bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)

another type of vector; allows for easier replication/manipulation as the number of genes is reduced to a smaller size

complementary DNA (cDNA)

a complementary, single-stranded, DNA molecule to another mRNA or DNA; composed by mRNA via reverse transcriptase

cDNA library

a collection of cDNAs

nucleic acid hybridization

the process of detecting a certain gene by adding a radioactive probe composed of complementary nucleotides

nucleic acid probe

an artificially synthesized nucleotide complement used in nucleic acid hybridization

expression vector

allows a cloned eukaryotic gene to function in a bacterial host; a cloning vector that contains a highly active bacterial promoter upstream of a restriction site where the eukaryotic gene can be inserted into the correct reading frame

yeast artificial chromosome (YAC)

essentials of a eukaryotic chromosome (DNA origin of replication, centromere, and 2 telomeres) inserted with foreign DNA to help a eukaryotic gene function

electroporation

the act of sending an electric pulse to a cell in membrane saturated solution to allow DNA to enter

polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

the act of amplifying a target DNA sequence; consists of denaturation, cooling with primers, and the DNA pol adding of nucleotides

gel electrophoresis

the process of separating nucleic acids/proteins based on size, electrical charge, and other physical properties

southern blotting

a process involving both gel electrophoresis and nucleic acid hybridization to detect a specific nucleotide sequence of a specific gene on DNA

northern blotting

a process involving both gel electrophoresis and nucleic acid hybridization to detect a specific nucleotide sequence of a specific gene on mRNA

reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)

a process using cDNA, PCR, and gel electrophoresis to compare gene expression between samples

in situ hybridization

usage of placing probes in an organism with fluorescent dyes to determine which tissues/cells are expressing certain genes

DNA microarray assay

a collection of many small, single-stranded DNA fragments in a glass slide that would ideally represent all genes of an organism

in vitro mutagenesis

the process of determining the function of a gene by disabling it via mutation

RNA interference (RNAi)

a synthetic, double-stranded RNA acting as a sequence of a particular gene to block translation of a specific protein

totipotent

describes a cell that can dedifferentiate

nuclear transplantation

the process of transplanting a nucleus from a differentiated cell into an unfertilized/fertilized egg

pluripotent

the capability of differentiating into different cell types

stem cell

an unspecialized cell that can reproduce indefinitely and differentiate into specialized cells of one or more types

single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)

where a single base pair site is varied

restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)

an SNP that exists on the restriction site for a particular enzyme making it unrecognizable causing different restriction fragments to show during gel electrophoresis

gene therapy

introducing genes into an afflicted individual for therapeutic purposes

transgenic

an organism that has genes from another organism of the same or different species

genetic profile

an individual's set of unique genetic markers

short tandem repeats (STRs)

tandemly repeated 2-5 base sequences in specific regions of the genome

Ti plasmid

a plasmid of tumor-inducing bacterium that integrates its T DNA into a chromosome of a host plant; used in genetic (plant) engineering)

genetically modified (GM) organisms

an organism that has artificially acquired one or more genes from another of the same or different species