Biotechnology

Cas9

DNA cutting enzyme

Guide RNA (gRNA)

RNA which has a specific sequence determined by CRISPR to guide Cas9 to a specific site

template strand (in CRISPR)

The DNA strand that provides the new genetic material

DNA to RNA to protein

central dogma of molecular biology

gel electrophoresis

Procedure used to separate and analyze DNA fragments by placing a mixture of DNA fragments at one end of a porous gel and applying an electrical voltage to the gel

Agarose

a carbohydrate from seaweed that is widely used as a medium for horizontal gel electrophoresis

PCR (polymerase chain reaction)

technique that allows molecular biologists to make many copies of a particular segment of DNA

primer sequence in PCR

short sequence of DNA complimentary to the segment being amplified

physical process

a transformation of a sample of matter, such as a change in its physical state, that does not alter the chemical identity of any substance in the sample

chemical process

a rearrangement of atoms or molecules to produce one or more new substances with new properties

Denaturation of nucleic acids

hydrogen bonding between nucleotides is disrupted

Gene

sequence of DNA that codes for a protein and thus determines a trait

genome

the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes

Mutation

change in a DNA sequence that affects genetic information

genetic modification

Branch of biotechnology that alters the genes in biological organisms to achieve a medicinal or agricultural purpose

DNA extraction

the process of separating DNA from the rest of the cell

phosphate group

a negatively charged part of a nucleotide

DNA

A complex molecule containing the genetic information that codes for proteins

Protein

A three dimensional polymer made of monomers of amino acids that when properly folding do tasks within cells

DNA ladder

set of known DNA fragments with different sizes in base pairs used to determine the size and quantity of DNA fragments

DNA polymerase

Used in DNA replication to pair free nucleotides with exposed nucleotide chains and 'proof read' new chains of nucleotides

NOS terminator sequence

sequence we used to determine if genetic modification occurred

Buffer

A solution that minimizes changes in pH and mimics cell conditions

Thermocycler

machine that raises and lowers temp of DNA in precise intervals for PCR

Nucleotide

monomer composed of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base