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biology 3/4 > ch 4 vocab > Flashcards

ch 4 vocab Flashcards

1
Q

endonuclease

A

an enzyme that
breaks the phosphodiester bond
between two nucleotides in a
polynucleotide chain

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2
Q

recognition site

A

a specific target
sequence of DNA upon which
restriction endonucleases act

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3
Q

restriction endonuclease

A

 any
enzyme that acts like molecular
scissors to cut nucleic acid strands
at specific recognition sites. Also
known as a restriction enzyme

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4
Q

blunt end

A

 the result of a straight
cut across the double-stranded
DNA by an endonuclease resulting
in no overhanging nucleotides

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5
Q

sticky end

A

the result of a
staggered cut through double
stranded DNA by an endonuclease
resulting in overhanging
nucleotides

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5
Q

overhanging nucleotides 

A

unbonded nucleotides on the ends
of the DNA strand resulting from a
staggered cut

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6
Q

ligase

A

 an enzyme that joins
molecules, including DNA or
RNA, together by catalysing the
formation of phosphodiester bonds

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7
Q

polymerase

A

 an enzyme that
synthesises a polymer from
monomers, such as forming
a DNA strand from nucleic acids

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8
Q

primer

A

 a short, single strand
of nucleic acids that acts as a
starting point for polymerase
enzymes to attach

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9
Q

virus

A

a non-cellular, infectious
agent composed of genetic
material enclosed in a protein coat
that requires a host cell to multiply

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10
Q

bacteriophage

A

a virus that infects
prokaryotic organisms

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11
Q

CRISPR-Cas9

A

a complex formed
between gRNA and Cas9 which
can cut a target sequence of
DNA. Bacteria use this complex
for protection from viruses and
scientists have modified it to
edit genomes

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12
Q

endonuclease

A

an enzyme that
breaks the phosphodiester bond
between two nucleotides in a
polynucleotide chain

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13
Q

CRISPR-associated protein 9
(Cas9) 

A

an endonuclease that
creates a blunt end cut at a site
specified by guide RNA (gRNA)

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14
Q

CRISPR

A

short, clustered repeats
of DNA found in prokaryotes
which protect them against
viral invasion

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15
Q

spacer

A

short sequences of
DNA obtained from invading
bacteriophages that are added into
the CRISPR sequence

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16
Q

protospacer

A

 a short sequence
of DNA extracted from a
bacteriophage by Cas1 and Cas2,
which has yet to be incorporated
into the CRISPR gene

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17
Q

protospacer adjacent motif (PAM)

A

a sequence of two-six nucleotides
that is found immediately next to
the DNA targeted by Cas9

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18
Q

guide RNA (gRNA) 

A

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

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19
Q

blunt end

A

the result of a straight
cut across the double-stranded
DNA by an endonuclease resulting
in no overhanging nucleotides

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20
Q

genetic modification 

A

the manipulation of an
organism’s genetic material
using biotechnology

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21
Q

deleterious mutation

A

a change in DNA that negatively affects
an individual

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22
Q

gene therapy

A

repairing genetic
mutations by replacing a defective
gene with a healthy one

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23
Q

single guide RNA (sgRNA) 

A

guide RNA utilised by scientists to
instruct Cas9 to cut a specific site
when using CRISPR-Cas9 in gene
editing

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24
gene knockout
a technique in gene editing where scientists prevent the expression of a target gene to understand its function in an organism
25
zygote
the diploid cell formed by the combination of two haploid gamete cells
26
gene knock-in
a technique in gene editing where scientists substitute or add nucleotides in a gene
27
embryo
an early stage of development in an organism. In humans, used to refer to the organism during the first eight weeks of development
28
differentiation
the process in which cells develop specialised characteristics, typically transforming them from one cell type to another more specialised cell type
29
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) 
a laboratory technique used to produce many identical copies of DNA from a small initial sample
30
amplify
 to increase the quantity of a molecule by making many copies
31
restriction endonuclease
any enzyme that acts like molecular scissors to cut nucleic acid strands at specific recognition sites. Also known as a restriction enzyme
32
denature
the disruption of a molecule’s structure by an external factor such as heat
33
Taq polymerase 
 a heat-resistant DNA polymerase enzyme isolated from the bacteria Thermus aquaticus, which amplifies a single-stranded DNA molecule by attaching complementary nucleotides
34
elongate
 to synthesise a longer polynucleotide
35
thermal cycler
a laboratory apparatus which alters the temperature in pre-programmed steps for temperature-sensitive reactions like PCR
36
anneal
the joining of two molecules, for example two complementary DNA strands during the cooling phase of PCR
37
forward primer
a DNA primer that binds to the 3’ end of the template strand and reads the DNA in the same direction as RNA polymerase
38
reverse primer 
a DNA primer that binds to the 3’ end of the coding strand and reads the DNA in the reverse direction to RNA polymerase
39
gel electrophoresis 
a technique that separates DNA fragments based on their molecular size
40
well
an indent in the gel into which a DNA sample is loaded
41
standard ladder
a mixture of DNA fragments of known length that are used to infer the size of fragments in a sample
42
agarose gel
a sponge-like gel used in gel electrophoresis that contains pores for DNA fragments to move through
43
buffer
an ion-rich solution that carries electrical current through the agarose gel
44
electrode
 conductors of electricity that are attached to both ends of a gel allowing an electrical current to pass through it
45
band
a line seen in the gel after running gel electrophoresis that corresponds to a collection of DNA fragments of a specific size
46
ethidium bromide
a fluorescent dye that binds to DNA fragments in a gel and allows them to be easily visualised under ultraviolet light
47
kilobase (kb)
 a unit of measurement that corresponds to one thousand nucleotides. May also be written as kbp
48
base pair (bp)
 a unit of measurement that corresponds to one nucleotide
49
lane
 the column of the gel corresponding to each sample of DNA
50
genetic testing
 screening an individual’s DNA for anomalies that may make them susceptible to a particular disease or disorder
51
DNA profiling 
the process of identification on the basis of an individual’s genetic information
52
homozygous
 having identical alleles for the same gene on homologous chromosomes
53
heterozygous
 having different alleles for the same gene on homologous chromosomes
54
short tandem repeats (STR)
short, repeated sequences of nucleotides found in the non - coding regions of nuclear DNA
55
plasmid
 a small, circular loop of DNA separate from the chromosome, typically found in bacteria
56
recombinant plasmid
a circular DNA vector that is ligated to incorporate a gene of interest
57
bacterial transformation
 the process by which bacteria take up foreign DNA from their environment. Scientists use this process to introduce recombinant plasmids into bacteria
58
genetic modification 
the manipulation of an organism’s genetic material using biotechnology
59
insulin
a hormone secreted by the pancreas to control blood glucose levels
60
diabetes
a disease where the body cannot properly produce or respond to insulin
61
gene of interest
 a gene scientists want to be expressed in recombinant bacteria. This gene often encodes a protein we wish to produce in commercial quantities. Also known as the desired gene
62
restriction endonuclease
any enzyme that acts like molecular scissors to cut nucleic acid strands at specific recognition sites. Also known as a restriction enzyme
63
vector
a means of introducing foreign DNA into an organism. Plasmids are a popular vector in bacterial transformation
64
plasmid vector
 a piece of circular DNA that is modified to be an ideal vector for bacterial transformation experiments
65
antibiotic resistance gene
gene which confers antibiotic resistance
66
origin of replication (ORI)
 a sequence found in prokaryotes that signals the start site of DNA replication
67
reporter gene 
gene with an easily identifiable phenotype that can be used to identify whether a plasmid has taken up the gene of interest
68
heat shock
a method that involves rapidly increasing and decreasing the temperature to increase membrane permeability in order to enhance the likelihood of bacterial transformation
69
electroporation
 a method that involves delivering an electric shock to bacterial membranes to increase their membrane permeability and increase the likelihood of bacterial transformation
70
fusion protein
 a protein made when separate genes have been joined and are transcribed and translated together
71
genetic engineering
 the process of using biotechnology to alter the genome of an organism, typically with the goal of conferring some desirable trait
72
genetic engineering technologies 
refers to the artificial alteration of an organism’s genome via the exchange of foreign genetic material, typically from another organism. This is often done external to the organism via the use of a transfer vector such as a plasmid. Also known as genetic recombination technologies
73
silenced
describes a gene that is prevented from being expressed
74
genetically modified organism (GMO) 
an organism with genetic material that has been altered using genetic engineering technology
75
host organism
the organism which researchers wish to genetically modify
76
cisgenic organisms 
a genetically modified organism that contains foreign genetic material from a sexually compatible donor organism, typically from the same species
77
transgenic organism
a genetically modified organism that contains foreign genetic material from a separate species (or recombinant DNA from the same species that has been manipulated before introduction)
78
plant tissue culture
a range of techniques used to grow plant cells, tissues, or organs under sterile conditions using a nutrient culture medium, such as an agar plate or nutrient broth of known composition. It is widely used to produce clones of a plant
79
transgene
a gene that has been artificially introduced into the genome of a separate organism (usually of another species)

biology 3/4 (6 decks)

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