Biotech Flashcards
What is biotechnology?
It is when you use living organism DNA to produce useful products like insulin.
What are some traditional practices of biotechnology?
Selective breeding; selecting desired traits and genetic engineering.
What is genetic engineering?
Changing the DNA of an organism to make something new and it results in a genetically modified organism
I heard there is something else about genetic engineering… what was it???
That genetic engineering produces recombinant DNA!
What is recombinant DNA?
Recombinant DNA has DNA from two different sources.
EX: Bacteria plasmid + Human gene
When a recombinant DNA is introduced into an organism, what does it produces?
A genetically modified organism
What is a vector or a bacterial plasmid?
Circular piece of DNA that is double stranded and usually found in bacteria easily cut and easily reassembled. It carries the gene of interest to the host cell.
Alright enough of the vocab! WHAT IS THE PROCESS IN GENETIC ENGINEERING?
First you must choose a vector to carry the gene of interest. Then you extract the gene of interest and insert it into a plasmid. To do this restriction enzymes cut compatible ends in plasmid and the source organism and DNA ligase enzyme binds the gene of interest to the compatible ends. Then a recombinant DNA has been made. Then transformation occurs which incorporates the gene of interest into the host. Then the bacteria reproduces and multiplies with that gene.
Tell me more about restriction enzymes!
They cut desired areas of the DNA or plasmid and can create blunt or sticky ends.
What are blunt ends?
When restriction enzymes cut DNA and create a clean and even end
What are sticky ends?
Exposed single strands of DNA when cut by a restriction enzyme. They are named sticky because they can easily pair with DNA.
What is a transformation?
When the gene of introduced to the host cell it incorporates it into its own genetic material.
What is DNA fingerprinting?
It is an identification technique through looking at differences and similarities of DNA. You obtian the DNA from the hair or blood and if there is only a small amount of DNA available you amplify it.
What is amplification???
The methods used to make more of the specific DNA segment that you have which makes it easier to study and analyze.
What is a Polymerase Chain Reaction?
It is a type of ampliying technique which uses repeated cycles of heating and cooling to amplify.
What is the process of PCR?
First you increase the temperature to unwind the DNA, as the temp. decreases, primers bind to the DNA. Then taq polymerase attaches to the nucleotides.
What is taq polymerase?
It is a heat resistant enzyme that can add nucleotides to the DNA and responsible for primer extension.
What is gel electrophoresis?
Gel electrophoresis is a lab technique used to separate different DNA fragments (RFLP) based on their size. It allows us to observe different sized fragments. First Gel or agarose is placed in a gel box filled with buffer solution. Once the gel is done, DNA is loaded into wells at one end of the gel. Then an electric field is applied across the gel. One end of the gel is positive and the other is negative and the DNA will move to the positive side since it is negative. Smaller fragments travel fast and far and larger fragments do not due to resistance. Eventually the molecules are separated forming distinct bands in the gel.
What is Cloning?
Making a genetically identical organism.
What is a clone?
A group of cells or an organism that are genetically identical due to asexual reproduction. They will have the exact same DNA as the DNA donor. However clones may not look the same as the parent but will have the same DNA.
What are the two ways to clone an organism?
Artificial embryo twinning
Somatic Nuclear Transfer
What is Somatic Nuclear Transfer?
The nucleus is removed from an unfertilized egg. The nucleus from a cell of the organism we want to clone is INSERTED into the UNFERTALIZED egg. The newly joined egg and nucleus are left to rest for a period of time. Then the egg is stimulated to cause it to start dividing by mitosis and create an embryo. The embryo is now implanted in a surrogate mother to grow and be born.
What is artificial embryo twinning?
It mimics the natural process that creates identical twins. When the embryo splits in two each half keeps dividing until it becomes separate individuals that are identical. Artificial embryo twinning does the same approach but in a petri dish. A very early embryo is separated into individual cells, which are allowed to divide and develop for a short time in the Petri dish. Then each is implanted in a surrogate mother.
What is selective breeding?
Selective breeding is when humans choose what organisms get to mate to attempt to produce offspring with desirable traits.
What are some examples of natural clones?
Identical Twins, Budding, and Animals created by Fragmentation.
