Genetic Technology & Genetic Therapy Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about Genetic Technology & Genetic Therapy.

Clone

An identical copy of a DNA segment, whole cell or complete organism, derived from a single ancestor

Cloning

The process of producing identical copies of molecules, cells, or organisms

Artificial Selection

Traditional cloning involved mating two organisms with desirable traits to get offspring, then using offspring with best combination of traits as parents

Embryo Splitting

Artificial twinning process where an early embryo is divided into multiple individual cells, each developing into an identical embryo.

Nuclear Transfer

A cloning method where the nucleus from an egg cell is removed and replaced with a nucleus from another cell.

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

Nuclear transfer using adult DNA

Recombinant DNA Technology

Produces clones of DNA molecules and allows the transfer of genes between species.

Restriction Enzyme

Bacterial natural defense enzymes that hunt out specific sequences in DNA and cut both strands.

Sticky Ends

Single-stranded tails of DNA that can bind in a complementary fashion.

Vectors

Genetically engineered plasmids that carry DNA to the host cell.

Plasmids

Small, circular DNA in the cytoplasm of bacteria that get copied when bacteria divide.

Selectable Markers

Something which helps us tell the difference between transformed and non-transformed bacteria, usually antibiotic resistance.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

A technique of DNA replication targeting only the DNA you want to study.

Primers

Short DNA fragments (~20bp) that provide a free 3’ end to which Taq polymerase can bind and begin copying.

Taq Polymerase

Enzyme for copying that can withstand high temperatures.

Denaturation

Heating the dsDNA (double-stranded), breaks hydrogen bonds à two strands of ssDNA (single-stranded)

Annealing

Primers bind in a complementary fashion to ssDNA

Extension

Taq polymerase binds to the 3’ end of the primers, reads the DNA base on the single strand and pulls a complementary nucleotide out of the solution

Exon Skipping

A technique that can be used to either: Remove disease-causing exons from the mRNA or Skip over additional exons so that the mRNA sequence makes sense

Anti-sense oligonucleotides (AON)

Using anti-sense oligonucleotides to mask exons from the splicing machinery