BIOL 101 Unit #4 Chapter 10

what is gel electrophoresis?

a technique used to separate molecules on the basis of their ability to migrate through a semisolid gel in response to an electric current

- how nucleic acids are moved by an electric field

what is the polymerase chain reaction?

technique used to create multiple copies of a DNA segment (specific regions of DNA)

- used for identification of an owner's DNA, Paternity analysis, comparison of ancient DNA with modern organisms and to determine the sequence of nucleotides in a specific region

what is cloning?

production of an exact copy--specifically an exact genetic copy (of a gene, cell, or organism)

what is a plasmid?

a small circular DNA molecule that replicates independently of main bacterial chromosome

- codes for important traits for bacteria and can be used as a vector to transport DNA into bacteria for replication

what led to the BioTech boom? (in book)

the mass production of insulin using bacteria replication system

what are restriction enzymes?

enzyme that recognizes a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA and cuts the DNA double strand at that recognition site, leaving short single strands ("sticky ends")

- naturally produced by bacteria as a defense mechanism against foreign DNA

what is annealing?

in molecular biology, it is the process of forming hydrogen bonds between complementary sequences on single-stranded DNA to form double-stranded DNA

what is recombinant DNA?

plasmids with foreign DNA inserted into them; combination with DNA from another source

what are recombinant proteins?

proteins produced from recombinant DNA (molecules)

what is reproductive cloning?

the cloning of an entire organism

what is genetic engineering?

using recombinant DNA technology (Biotech) to modify an organism's DNA to achieve desirable traits

what are genetically modified organisms (GMO's)

an organism that receives the recombinant DNA

what does the term transgenic mean? (in biology ofc duh)

describes an organism that receives DNA from a different species

what is reverse genetics?

a form of genetic analysis that manipulates DNA to disrupt or affect the product of a gene to analyze the gene's function

- finds out what the gene/DNA element does

what is the process of DNA extraction?

I. Detergent is added to break open the cell membrane, releasing the cells contents which includes DNA in the solution

II. Enzymes are added to destroy any unwanted macromolecules inside the cell

III. Alcohol precipitation takes place, and DNA is visibly seen as a white stringy substance, and can now be extracted

what does RNA extraction show?

show what genes are expressed

what is therapeutic cloning?

stops reproduction stage at the early embryonic stage & presents it to create stem cells that will eventually be manipulated/transformed into (ex.'s) liver cells, muscle cells, nerve cells, etc.

what is gene therapy?

the technique used to cure heritable diseases by replacing mutant genes with good genes

how gene therapy works? (vid notes)

insertion of non-mutated gene, vector is inserted by the virus (similar to trojan horse), virus enters cell and releases the good gene, replacing the bad gene in a cell

- cures heritable diseases like I stated before

what is a vector?

DNA molecule (plasmid or virus) that carries foreign DNA into a host cell

what is agrobacterium tumefaciens?

tumor causing bacteria when introduced in plants, breaking into a plant's genome, and manipulates plasmids to achieve a desirable gene in the plant

- helps with creating genetically modified crops

what is genomics?

the study of entire genomes, including the complete set of genes, their nucleotide sequence, organization, and their interactions with other species and within a species

what is a genetic map?

illustration that lists genes and their location on a chromosome

- provides genetic markers (similar to a landmark on a map)

what is a genetic marker?

gene sequence on a chromosome that shows genetic linkage with a trait of interest

what is a physical map? (in biology)

a representation of the physical distance between genes or genetic markers

what is whole genome sequencing?

process that determines the DNA sequence of an entire genome?

what are model organisms?

species that are widely studied and used as a model to understand the biological processes in other species represented by the model organism

what is the technique for gene editing?

CRISPR; enzyme that can identify, attach to, and cut the DNA strand at a precise location

what is a genome-wide association study (GWAS)?

a method that identifies differences between individuals in single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) that may be involved in causing diseases

what is pharmacogenomics?

the study of evaluating the effectiveness and safety of drugs on a genome.; also called toxicogenomic

what is metagenomics?

the study of the collective genomes of multiple species of multiple species that grow and interact in an environmental niche

what is a proteome?

the entire set of proteins produced by a cell type

what is proteomics?

the study of the function of proteomes (structure and more)

what is a biomarker?

an individual protein that is uniquely produced in a diseased state

what is a protein signature?

a set of over/under--expressed proteins characteristic of cells in a particular diseased tissue

what % of diseases are from one gene?

5%

what is mitochondrial genomics?

the study of mitochondria's structure, function, and mutations related to disease

- comes form maternal side

have GMO foods been shown to cause harm to humans?

No