Chapter 21 - genetic technologies and genomics Flashcards
Recombinant DNA technology
- use of laboratory techniques to bring together fragments of DNA from multiple sources
gene cloning
- the process of making multiple copies of a particular gene
- two purposes:
1. make large amounts of a specific gene’s DNA- study DNA directly
- use the DNA as a tool
- to make a large amount of the gene product
- study the structure and function of a protein
- other uses such as medicine
genomics
- the molecular analysis of the entire genome of a species
3 steps of gene cloning
- source vsctor DNA and chromosomal DNA as starting materials
- insert gene of interest into vector
- introduce a recombinant vector into a host cell that doesn’t already have a vector. The host cell takes up one vector and then copies the vector and divides to produce many cells
vector DNA
- carrier for the DNA segment that gets cloned
- comes from plasmids or viruses
- can replicate once introduced into a living cell
plasmids
small circular pieces of DNA found naturally in many strains of bacteria
viral vectors
derived from viruses which infect living cells and propagate themselves using the host cell’s machinery
recombinant vector
- contains plasma and the gene of interest
- made by opening up vector and inserting the gene of interest
- vector may recircularize without GEI insertion
what is the importance of the location at which the GEI is cut
- the sequence on the overhang makes sure it attaches to the right place on the genomic DNA
restriction enzymes
- cut DNA during gene cloning (step 2)
- made naturally by bacteria to protect against bacteriophages
- cut at specific restriction sites
restriction sites
- sequence of DNA that binds a specific restriction enzyme
- most are palindromic
- overhangs are sticky because the complementarity causes them to attract each other
- cut in different places on the two sides of the DNA
what is one con of the second step of gene cloning?
- vectors may recircularize without insertion of GEI
DNA ligase in gene cloning
- covalently bonds the GEI into the vector DNA to create the recombinant vector
selectable marker
- makes sure that the plasmid was taken up by the cells
- a gene whose presence can allow organisms such as bacteria to grow under a certain set of conditions
- ex: an antibiotic-resistance gene is a selectable market that can allows bacteria to grow in the presence of the antibiotic
- amp^R is the most common selectable marker
amp^R
- most common selectable marker
- ampicillin resistance gene
- codes for beta-lactamase that degrades ampicillin, which normally kills bacteria
- growth of bacteria on ampicillin plates indicates that amp^R is present
- only cells that picked up the inserted plasma can grow
LacZ system
- the LacZ gene is built into the vector to eliminate recircularized empty vectors
- codes for beta-galactosidase which cleaves colorless X-Gal into a blue dye
insertion of cloned DNA disrupts lacZ gene - bacteria with recircularized plasmids form blue colonies
- bacteria with recombinant vectors will form white colonies
DNA library
- collection of many recombinant vectors each with a fragment of chromosomal DNA
- treatment of chromosomal DNA with restriction enzymes yields tens of thousands of different fragments
genomic library
- type of DNA library with inserts derived from chromosomal DNA
cDNA library
- uses reverse transcriptase to make complimentary DNA (cDNA) from mRNA
- lacks introns, simpler to use
- only genes that are expressed, more concise
electrophoresis
- technique used to separate macromolecules on a gel
- can separate DNA or proteins
- often used to evaluate the results of a cloning experiment
- separate based on charge, size/length, and mass
- gel is set in aqueous solution so that charges can move through it and move the DNA
- denser and more massive molecules are more restricted and don’t move as far
4 reagents of PCR
- DNA
- primers (forward and reverse)
- dNTPs (deoxynucleoside triphosphates)
- taq polymerase
taq polymerase
- heat-stable form of DNA polymerase
- need to use taq because DNA is denatured using heat and human polymerase won’t work in high temps
- comes from bacterium called thermos aquatics that lives in hot springs
polymerase chain reaction
- goal is to make many copies of DNA in a defined region
- doesn’t require vectors or host cells
- DNA runs through repeated cycles of denaturation, annealing and synthesis
three steps of PCR
- denaturation - template DNA is heated and denatured into single-stranded molecules
- primer annealing - temperature is lowered and the primers bind to specific sites in the template DNA
- primer extension - temp is slightly raised and taq polymerase uses dNTPs to catalyze the synthesis of complementary DNA strands
DNA sequencing
refers to a procedure that is aimed at determining the base sequence of DNA
dideoxynucleoside triphosphate (ddNTPs)
- like dNTPs but are missing the 3’ -OH, so it can’t attach to the next base and causes the chain to terminate
mapping of genome
- step in genomics involving the determination of the complete DNA sequence
- provides a detailed description of the organisms genome at a molecular level
functional genomics
the study of the expression of a genome
Dideoxy chain-termination method (dideoxy sequencing)
- DNA polymerase makes complementary strand to the single stranded template DNA until it reaches a ddNTP
- DNA chains of various lengths are created
- electrophoresis separates the chains by length
- the DNA sequence can be read by determining which base is at the end
- done in a test tube so there aren’t other types of DNA polymerases that go back and fix mistakes
components of dideoxy sequencing
- many copies of the single stranded template DNA
- primers that bind to the primer-annealing site
- lots of all four regular dNTPs
- low concentration of all four ddNTPs tagged with a different fluorescent molecule
- DNA polymerase
DNA microarray
- small slide on which an array of spots contains many different known sequences of single-stranded DNA
- used to monitor the expression of thousands of genes simultaneously
- goal is to find out which genes are transcribed into mRNA in a particular sample of cells
CRISPR-Cas technology
- an experimental technique to introduce mutations into genes
sgRNA
- single guide RNA
- single RNA in which the tracrRNA and crRNA are linked together
- spacer region of sgRNA designed to be complementary the DNA of a target gene to be mutated
- sgRNA binds to Cas9, guides it to the target genes
- Cas9 makes a double stranded break
two different DNA repair events in crispr-cas technology
- end joining may lead to a small deletion
- if the researcher adds donor DNA homologous to the break region a specific mutation can be put into the gene