18: Biotechnology Flashcards

Module 4, Lesson 1

1
Q

Selective breeding is a type of…

A

Genetic manipulation

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2
Q

Selective breeding is also often called…

A

Artificial selection

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3
Q

____ uses controlled mating to produce an organism with the desired characteristics.

A

Selective breeding

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4
Q

Selective breeding is a ____ process.

A

Long-term

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5
Q

True or false:

Selective breeding only ever results in the selection of desirable traits.

A

False

It can often result in undesirable or harmful traits being accidentally selected.

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6
Q

Selective breeding typically results in a(n) ____ of overall genetic diversity in the species.

A

Decrease

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7
Q

True or false:

Selective breeding increases an organism’s vulnerability to disease.

A

True

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8
Q

The process of modifying an organism’s DNA using technology is called…

A

Gene editing

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9
Q

List three different variations of gene editing.

A
  1. Taking genes from one organism and inserting them into another
  2. Removing sections of DNA
  3. Editing individual DNA base pairs
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10
Q

List two examples of gene editing.

A
  1. Molecular cloning
  2. CRISPR/Cas9 system
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11
Q

List three benefits of gene editing compared to selective breeding.

A
  1. Much faster and more targeted
  2. Genes from one species can be inserted into another
  3. Helps prevent loss of genetic diversity
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12
Q

Lab-made molecules that are not naturally found in an organism are called…

A

Recombinant molecules

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13
Q

Many gene editing techniques use naturally-occuring…

A

Enzymes

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14
Q

____ are used in gene editing to cut DNA at specific locations.

A

Restriction enzymes/endonucleases

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15
Q

____ are a category of enzymes capable of cutting phosphodiester bonds between nucleotides.

A

Nucleases

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16
Q

Restriction enzymes are naturally a key component of…

A

Bacterial resistance to viruses

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17
Q

Which two components of DNA synthesis are often used in gene editing?

A
  1. DNA ligase
  2. DNA polymerase
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18
Q

During gene editing, DNA ligase is used to…

A

Seal the gaps between the original DNA and the inserted DNA segment

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19
Q

During gene editing, especially PCR, DNA polymerase is used to…

A

Amplify a sample of DNA

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20
Q

List the four basic steps of molecular cloning.

A
  1. Amplify DNA
  2. Cut out DNA
  3. Isolate cut DNA
  4. Insert DNA into new organism
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21
Q

Why is GFP, a gene for bioluminescent protein, useful for researchers?

A

It can be used to track movement of proteins in a living cell

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22
Q

The first step of molecular cloning, where the gene of interest is amplified, is…

A

Polymerase Chain Reaction
(PCR)

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23
Q

PCR takes place in a machine called a…

A

Thermocycler

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24
Q

List the three main steps of PCR.

A
  1. Denaturation
  2. Annealing
  3. Synthesis/Extension
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25
Q

PCR is a technique used to…

A

Amplify a gene of interest

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26
Q

During the denaturation phase of PCR…

A

DNA is unwound using extreme heat

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27
Q

True or false:

Unlike in a cell, during PCR all strands of DNA are unwound at once.

A

True

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28
Q

During the annealing phase of PCR…

A

The temperature is lowered so the primers can bind to the DNA

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29
Q

True or false:

The primers used in PCR only amplify the area of interest.

A

True

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30
Q

During the extension phase of PCR…

A

The DNA is elongated by DNA polymerase

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31
Q

The specific DNA polymerase used in PCR is called…

A

Taq polymerase

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32
Q

True or false:

Taq polymerase is sourced from human cells.

A

False

It comes from a thermophilic bacteria, so it doesn’t denature at high temperatures

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33
Q

By repeating PCR many times, it is possible to make ____ of copies of a single DNA fragment.

A

Millions

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34
Q

Restriction enzymes are a special class of…

A

Endonucleases

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35
Q

During molecular cloning, restriction enzymes are used to…

A

Cut the amplified DNA at precise locations

36
Q

When choosing which restriction enzyme to use, it is important to ensure that…

A

The enzyme will not cut into the gene of interest

37
Q

When restriction enzymes cut DNA, they leave overlapping…

A

“Sticky ends”

38
Q

Why are the sticky ends of cut DNA important?

A

They allow two different segments of DNA to be easily connected

39
Q

True or false:

Restriction enzymes can usually precisely cut out the gene of interest.

A

False

40
Q

The DNA fragment containing the gene of interest is separated from the leftover fragments using…

A

Gel electrophoresis

41
Q

During gel electrophoresis, ____ is used to move DNA fragments through a gel with many small pores.

A

Electric current

42
Q

DNA molecules are ____ charged.

A

Negatively

43
Q

During gel electrophoresis, DNA fragments will move from the ____ to the ____.

A

Cathode to anode

44
Q

Gel electrophoresis separates DNA fragments by…

A

Size

45
Q

Longer fragments travel ____ through the gel, so they are usually found near the ____ of the gel.

A

Slower, top

46
Q

Shorter fragments travel ____ through the gel, so they are usually found near the ____ of the gel.

A

Faster; bottom

47
Q

Researchers can use ____ to know exactly which nucleotide base the DNA fragments were cut at.

A

Restriction enzyme maps

48
Q

A standard set of DNA fragments used to identify the sample fragments during gel electrophoresis is called a….

A

DNA ladder

49
Q

A segment of DNA that the gene of interest will be added to is the…

A

Plasmid

50
Q

During the process of ____, the gene of interest and the plasmid are combined.

A

Ligation

51
Q

In order for the cut fragment and the plasmid to combine…

A

The same restriction enzyme must have been used to cut both

52
Q

The result of ligation is a…

A

Recombinant DNA molecule

53
Q

After the gene of interest and the plasmid have combined, ____ is used to seal gaps in the phosphate backbone.

A

DNA ligase

54
Q

During the process of ____, the edited plasmid is inserted into an organism.

A

Transformation

55
Q

Many plasmids have a ____, which is used to verify that the gene of interest has entered the cell.

A

Selection marker

56
Q

To ensure that the plasmid can replicate within the cell, a(n) ____ is placed on it.

A

Origin of replication

57
Q

Genetically altered animals are sometimes called…

(not GMOs)

A

Transgenic

58
Q

Over 90% of soybean plants in the US have been genetically modified to resist…

A

Glyphosate

59
Q

To insert a gene into a plant, the edited gene is made into a special plasmid called a…

A

Tumor inducing (Ti) plasmid

60
Q

The ____ system has the ability to directly and rapidly edit the genes of living cells.

A

CRISPR/Cas9

61
Q

The scientists who discovered CRISPR were studying…

A

Bacterial immune responses

62
Q

When bacteria are infected with a virus…

A

They collect small fragments of viral DNA and incorporate them into the bacterial genome

63
Q

Bacteria keep a “viral DNA library” called…

A

CRISPR

64
Q

When a bacterium is re-infected by a virus, the CRISPR library…

A

Produces “guide RNA” that shows the Cas9 endonuclease where to cut the viral DNA

65
Q

In bacteria, the ____ endonuclease cuts viral DNA at a precise location to prevent re-infection.

A

Cas9

66
Q

The ____ system serves as a bacterium’s adaptive immune system.

A

CRISPR/Cas9

67
Q

How can CRISPR/Cas9 be used as a gene editing tool?

A

Guide RNA can be developed for the gene of interest, then injected into the organism along with Cas9 proteins

68
Q

List three ways that DNA can be edited using CRISPR/Cas9.

A
  1. Deleting DNA segments
  2. Inserting new DNA segments in place of cut DNA
  3. Inducing mutations in single base pairs
69
Q

____ can be used to directly alter the gene of cells within or outside the body.

A

Gene therapy

70
Q

Gene therapy is primarily used to target…

A

Genetic diseases

71
Q

How can CRISPR gene therapy be used to treat sickle cell anemia?

A

Blood stem cells can be edited so that they have a functional hemoglobin gene

72
Q

How can CRISPR gene therapy be used to treat HIV?

A

Immune stem cells can be edited to mutate the surface proteins important for HIV binding to T-cells

73
Q

List three downsides of gene therapy.

A
  1. Inherent risks
  2. High cost
  3. Possible ethical concerns
74
Q

Any cell that cannot form gametes is called a…

A

Somatic cell

75
Q

With somatic gene editing, the edited genes are found in the new cells they generate but not…

A

In any other cells in the body

76
Q

The benefits and risks of ____ gene editing are limited to the individual.

A

Somatic

77
Q

Cells that form gametes are called…

A

Germline cells

78
Q

If the DNA of a germline cell is altered, the alterations…

A

Will be found in every cell of the adult body, including reproductive cells

79
Q

The benefits and risks of ____ gene editing impact both the individual and any future offspring.

A

Germline

80
Q

True or false:

Somatic gene editing can affect evolution.

A

False

Germline gene editing can do this, but somatic editing cannot.

81
Q

Germline gene editing in humans is considered…

A

Unethical and very risky

82
Q

True or false:

The impacts of gene editing can be difficult to predict.

A

True

83
Q

Altering or removing an organism can also impact…

A

Its ecosystem

84
Q

One unintended consequence of herbicide-resistant crops is that…

A

Many weeds/wild plants have also gained the gene for herbicide resistance

85
Q

Scientists are exploring eradication of malaria by…

A

Editing the genes of mosquitoes so they become infertile