Genetics and Recombinant DNA Technology Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from genetics, recombinant DNA technology, and bioinformatics extracted from lecture notes.

Degenerate genetic code

The same amino acid can be coded for by more than one codon.

Polar genetic code

Refers to the property of the genetic code being always read in a fixed 5' to 3' direction.

Non-ambiguous genetic code

A particular codon will always code for the same single amino acid.

Restriction enzymes

Used in recombinant DNA technology to cut both the target DNA and the cloning vector after isolating target DNA.

Transformation

The process of transferring a recombinant DNA vector into a bacterial cell.

Blue-white screening (white colonies)

Colonies containing a recombinant plasmid appear white because the insertion of the recombinant gene disrupts the lacZ gene, preventing the production of a functional enzyme.

Colony hybridization (identification)

Successfully transformed colonies are identified because they produce a positive signal when a radiolabeled probe binds to the gene of interest.

Primary database informatics

Repositories containing raw, unanalyzed DNA and protein sequence databases accessible to the public.

Secondary database informatics

Databases containing data that have been derived from the analysis of entries in primary databases.

BLASTn

A BLAST tool used to search a nucleotide database using a nucleotide query, for example, when looking for a sequence in similar species.