ch 21 biotechnology Flashcards
biotechnology
the use of living organisms or materials they produce in the development of products or processes that are beneficial to humans
genetically modified organism (GMO)
an organism that has received genetic material via recombinant dna technology
transgenic organism
an organism that has dna from another species incorporated into its genome via recombinant dna techniques
transgene
a gene from one species that is introduced into another species
biological control
the use of microorganisms or products from microorganisms to alleviate plant diseases or damage from environmental conditions (eg frost damage)
bioremediation
the use of living organisms or their products to decrease pollutants in the environment
biotransformation
the conversions of one molecule into another via cellular enzymes
biodegradation
the breakdown of a larger molecule, such as a pollutant in the environment, into a smaller molecule via cellular enzymes
gene modification
an alteration in the sequence of a gene
gene addition
the insertion of a cloned gene into a site in a chromosome of a living cell
gene knockin
a genetic modification in which a gene of interest has been inserted into a particular site in a genome
glofish
genetically modified zebrafish that glow in different colors due to the introduction of genes that encode fluorescent proteins
gene knockout
in the case of diploid species, the condition in which both copies of a gene have been altered to an inactive form
gene redundancy
the phenomenon in which one gene compensates for the loss of function of another gene
mouse model
a strain of mice that carries a mutation that is analogous to a disease-causing mutation of a human gene; such mice often have disease symptoms that are similar to human symptoms