Biotechnology Unit Test Review Guide

These flashcards cover key concepts from the Biotechnology Unit Test Review Guide, focusing on GMOs, molecular cloning, and related processes.

Biotechnology

The use of biological systems or living organisms to develop or create different products.

GMO

Genetically Modified Organism, an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.

Recombinant vs Transgenic

Recombinant refers to DNA that has been artificially made in a laboratory; transgenic refers to an organism that has one or more genes from another species.

Agrocin 84

A bacterium produced by the species of bacteria that kills another bacterium to prevent crown gall disease.

Crown Gall

A plant disease caused by the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, resulting in tumor-like growths.

BT

Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium used as a biological insecticide in organic farming.

Bioremediation

The use of living organisms to remove or neutralize contaminants from soil and water.

Biotransformation vs Biodegradation

Biotransformation is the chemical alteration of a substance by living organisms, while biodegradation is the breakdown of substances by biological means.

Transgenic Livestock

Livestock that have been genetically modified to improve certain traits or produce certain proteins.

Biofuel

Fuel derived from organic materials, such as plants or animal waste, whose production has been impacted by genetic engineering.

Natural Clones

Organisms that are genetically identical to one another, often produced via asexual reproduction.

Monozygotic Twins

Twins that develop from a single fertilized egg, resulting in genetically identical siblings.

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)

A technique used to amplify small segments of DNA, generating thousands to millions of copies of a specific DNA sequence.

Gel Electrophoresis

A method used to separate DNA fragments based on their size by applying an electric field to a gel matrix.

Restriction Endonucleases

Enzymes that cut DNA at specific sequences, allowing for DNA manipulation and cloning.

Selectable Marker

A gene that provides a observable trait for the organism, enabling the identification of cells that have taken up plasmids.

GFP

Green Fluorescent Protein, originally derived from jellyfish, used as a marker for gene expression.

What is biotechnology?

The use of living organisms or their products to develop or create products that are beneficial to humans.

When did biotechnology begin?

Biotechnology began over 12,000 years ago with the domestication of animals and cultivation of plants.

What is GMO?

Genetically Modified Organism, an organism whose genetic material has been altered using recombinant DNA technology.

What is transgenic?

An organism that has been modified to contain recombinant DNA from another species.

What is gene therapy?

The introduction of cloned genes into individuals to treat genetic diseases.

How do A. radiobacter and Agrocin 84 help in agriculture?

A. radiobacter produces Agrocin 84, an antibiotic that prevents crown gall disease caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

What is Bt and its role in agriculture?

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a soil bacterium that produces a toxin to protect crops from pests like caterpillars and beetles.

What is bioremediation?

The use of microorganisms to decrease pollutants in the environment by degrading toxic substances.

What is molecular pharming?

The introduction of medically important genes into the mammary glands of livestock to produce useful biological compounds.

What are transgenic plants used for?

Transgenic plants can have traits such as herbicide tolerance and pest resistance, improving agricultural yields.

What is the significance of genetically modified yeast?

Genetically modified yeast can produce biofuels and create climate-friendly alternatives in brewing.

What are potential allergic reactions related to GMOs?

Some individuals with allergies may react to allergens that appear in GMOs, raising safety concerns.

What are the environmental impacts of GMOs?

GMOs can cause unintended cross-contamination and affect biodiversity, threatening native species and crop diversity.

What is the concern with decreasing crop diversity?

A decrease in crop diversity can threaten food security and nutrient-varied food supplies.

What is cloning?

Cloning is the process of creating genetically identical copies of an organism, DNA, or cells.

What is reproductive cloning?

Reproductive cloning produces copies of whole animals, creating a new multicellular organism that is genetically identical to another.

What is gene cloning?

Gene cloning, also known as subcloning, produces copies of specific genes or segments of DNA.

What is therapeutic cloning?

Therapeutic cloning involves creating embryonic stem cells for experiments aimed at developing tissues to replace injured or diseased ones.

What is natural cloning?

Natural cloning is the process where some organisms, such as certain plants and bacteria, produce genetically identical offspring through asexual reproduction.

What is embryo splitting?

Embryo splitting, also known as artificial twinning, is a technique used to create genetically identical individuals, similar to how identical twins are formed naturally.

Who was Dolly?

Dolly was the first mammal cloned from a mature somatic cell, created in 1996 from the udder cell of a 6-year-old sheep.

What is Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT)?

SCNT is a cloning method where the nucleus of a somatic cell is transferred into an egg cell to create a cloned organism.

What are some ethical concerns surrounding cloning?

Ethical concerns include the high failure rates, potential suffering of cloned animals, and the implications of cloning on human genetics and society.

What is CRISPR-CAS 9?

CRISPR-CAS 9 is a gene-editing technology used to alter DNA sequences, allowing for precise modifications to an organism's genome.

What did the experiment involving Lulu and Nana achieve?

Lulu and Nana were human embryos edited using CRISPR-CAS 9 to disrupt the CCR5 gene, which was intended to prevent HIV infection from an HIV-positive parent.

What advances were made in cloning rhesus monkeys?

In 2024, researchers successfully cloned a healthy rhesus monkey named Retro using SCNT, improving methods from previous attempts by addressing placental issues and gene expression problems.

What is molecular cloning?

A set of techniques used to insert recombinant DNA from a prokaryotic or eukaryotic source into a replicating vehicle such as plasmids or viral vectors.

What is subcloning?

A technique used to move a particular DNA sequence from a parent vector to a destination vector.

What are the steps to molecular/subclone a gene?

1. Amplify gene of interest

2. Run gel to isolate cloned fragment

3. Perform gel extraction

4. Digest DNA to make sticky ends

5. Ligate insert and plasmid DNA

6. Transform bacteria.

What is a genomic DNA library?

A larger library that includes both introns and exons from nuclear DNA for eukaryotic organisms, often requiring multistep processes to remove introns during cloning.

What is a cDNA library?

A library made by reverse transcribing mRNA isolated from an organism; it contains only expressed genes without introns or regulatory sequences.

What is a plasmid?

A small, circular, double-stranded DNA molecule distinct from chromosomal DNA, naturally occurring in bacteria and some eukaryotes.

What are vectors?

Plasmids used experimentally for cloning, transferring, and manipulating genes, which create recombinant plasmids introduced into bacteria by transformation.

What is a multiple cloning site (MCS)?

A region in cloning plasmids designed with specific restriction sites for cutting the plasmid without affecting other important features.

What are selectable markers in plasmids?

Genes that confer resistance to antibiotics, used to select for bacteria that have taken up the plasmid.

What is the role of promoters in plasmids?

Regions included on either side of multiple cloning sites that allow the directed synthesis of RNA using the inserted DNA as a template.

What is the process of restriction digestion?

The process of cutting DNA molecules into smaller pieces using restriction endonucleases that recognize specific sequences called restriction sites.

How are plasmids mapped?

Mapping involves establishing fragment patterns from restriction digestion and confirming them through gel electrophoresis.

What is transformation in bacteria?

Transformation is the process by which a bacterium takes up DNA from the surrounding environment.

What is conjugation in bacteria?

Conjugation is a process that relies on surface-to-surface contact between two bacteria to transfer DNA.

Who is Fredrick Griffith?

Fredrick Griffith discovered bacterial transformation in 1928 by demonstrating that a living non-pathogenic strain of Streptococcus pneumonia could become pathogenic after exposure to heat-killed pathogenic strain.

What are competent bacteria?

Competent bacteria are those that can take up foreign DNA from their environment; not all bacteria have this ability.

How can E. coli be made competent chemically?

E. coli, which is not naturally competent, can be made competent by exposure to calcium chloride and heat shocking, which alters cell wall permeability.

What is transformation efficiency?

Transformation efficiency refers to the relatively low success rate of DNA uptake during transformation, which can be selected for using antibiotic resistance.

How does chloramphenicol relate to transformation?

Chloramphenicol is used as an antibiotic to select for bacteria that have successfully taken up plasmids coding for CAT enzymes, which prevent antibiotic function.

What is the function of GFP in biotechnology?

Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is used as a visualization tool during fluorescent microscopy to track processes in various organisms, including tumor and blood vessel growth.

What is the difference between fluorescent and chromogenic proteins?

Fluorescent proteins require UV light for visualization, while chromogenic proteins are visible to the naked eye and create pigmentation without needing UV light.