Biotechnology Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about biotechnology

Restriction Endonucleases

Enzymes that cut DNA into fragments of different lengths.

Gel Electrophoresis

The process where DNA fragments migrate through a gel during electrophoresis.

Well

A depression at one end of the gel where the DNA sample is placed.

Buffer

A substance containing electrolytes used in gel electrophoresis.

Loading Dye

DNA solution mixed with glycerol for DNA visualization.

Recombinant DNA

DNA that is a combination of original plasmid DNA and foreign DNA

Cloned Gene

A process where many copies of recombinant DNA are produced

Transformed Bacterium

A bacterium that has taken in a foreign plasmid.

Vector (Plasmid)

A carrier used to transport a desired gene into a host cell.

Competent Cell

A cell that readily takes up foreign DNA.

Chemical Transformation

A method to induce competence in bacteria using calcium chloride.

Electroporators

Chambers that use an electric shock to allow foreign DNA to enter bacteria.

Electrical Gene Guns

Devices used to shoot DNA through the cell wall and membrane.

DNA Ligase

Enzyme that reestablishes phosphodiester bonds to permanently integrate a foreign gene into a plasmid.

Plasmids

Small, circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria.

Sticky Ends

The ends of DNA fragments that can pair together.

Anneal

The process where sticky ends pair together.

Transformation

The process of introducing a plasmid into a bacterial cell.

Antibiotic-Resistance Gene

A gene that confers resistance to an antibiotic; used as a marker for successful transformation.

Lawn Colony Growth

The end result when transformation is successful, forming a continuous layer of bacterial growth.

Molecular Marker

A standard containing fragments of known size, used to determine the size of unknown DNA fragments.

Agarose

Substance used to make gels for electrophoresis

Negative Electrode

The negatively charged terminal in gel electrophoresis.

Positive Electrode

The positively charged terminal in gel electrophoresis.

Gel Wells

The region of the gel where DNA samples are loaded.

Endosymbiotic Relationship

The relationship where both the bacteria and the plasmid benefit from their coexistence.

Gel Electrophoresis

Process by which DNA fragments are separated based on their size and charge using an electric field.

Foreign Gene Insert

The foreign DNA that is inserted into a plasmid during recombinant DNA technology.

Excised Gene

A process where restriction enzymes excise a specific gene from DNA

Gene Expression

The process where bacteria are able to produce a protein from a foreign gene inserted into plasmids.