Chapter 7: Biotechnology

Question 1

biotechnology

Answer 1

the utilization of organisms and their components to perform functional tasks in research and make products that are useful to humans

Question 2

plasmid

Answer 2

a small piece of extrachromosomal DNA found in prokaryotes

Question 3

pilus

Answer 3

a structure in certain bacteria that allows for the transfer of DNA during bacterial conjugation

Question 4

antibiotic

Answer 4

a substance produced by a fungus that is able to kill bacteria

Question 5

plasmid vectors

Answer 5

mechanisms which carry genes contained in plasmids from one place to another

Question 6

restriction enzyme (restriction endonuclease)

Answer 6

an enzyme that bacteria make to cut foreign DNA (hint: inside, “endo” the nucleus)

Question 7

ligase

Answer 7

an enzyme that joins DNA segments together, forming a single DNA strand

Question 8

probe

Answer 8

a single-stranded, synthesized segment of radioactively labelled DNA or RNA that is used to find a gene of interest (because it is complementary to the sequence of the gene of interest)

Question 9

DNA hybridization

Answer 9

hydrogen bonding between two strands of DNA due to complementary base pairing

Question 10

reverse transcriptase

Answer 10

an enzyme that makes DNA from RNA

Question 11

intron

Answer 11

a noncoding sequence found in a gene

Question 12

electrophoresis

Answer 12

the separation of molecules based on their rate of movement through a gel under an electric field

Question 13

ddNTP

Answer 13

dideoxiribonucleotides, where N is one of the four nitrogenous bases

Question 14

polymorphic DNA

Answer 14

two homologous pieces of DNA have different restriction fragments after exposure to a restriction enzyme

Question 15

VNTRs (variable number tandem repeats)

Answer 15

repeating sequences of DNA that vary in their number of repeating units between individuals

Question 16

antennapedia

Answer 16

a gene that, when mutated, causes the growth of legs when antennae should be

Question 17

gene map

Answer 17

a listing of genes present on a plasmid or chromosome and their relative locaions

Question 18

genomic DNA

Answer 18

the DNA making up the entire genome of an organism

Question 19

gene

Answer 19

a unit of heredity

Question 20

polygenic

Answer 20

caused by several genes

Question 21

alternative splicing

Answer 21

combining genes from a single strand of DNA in different combinations can result in different proteins

Question 22

transcription

Answer 22

the process in which DNA is deciphered to yield RNA

Question 23

expanded complexity

Answer 23

additions of DNA sequence to existing genes

Question 24

transcription factors

Answer 24

______ control which genes are expressed and when

Question 25

compounding

Answer 25

the increasing complexity at an exponential rate as the protein products of genes are combined in different ways

Question 26

Type I restriction endonuclease

Answer 26

makes simple cuts on both DNA strands

Question 27

Type II restriction endonuclease

Answer 27

makes staggered cuts where sequences are the same on both sides

Question 28

dyad symmetry

Answer 28

where the sequences of two DNA strands are the same on both sides

Question 29

multiple cloning site (MCS)

Answer 29

the region in a plasmid where DNA is inserted

Question 30

phages

Answer 30

viruses that infect bacterial cells

Question 31

chimera

Answer 31

a new genome that is nonexistent in nature

Question 32

4-I

Answer 32

the initial stage of screening, which involves getting rid of cells without vectors, or without original DNA, using a vector with a gene for antibiotic resistance, and is based on the presence or absence of a certain phenotype

Question 33

4-II

Answer 33

the second stage of screening, which involves finding the gene of interest, using hybridization to find a particular fragment, and then denaturing DNA, allowing the radioactive probe to attach

Question 34

Ti plasmids

Answer 34

tumor-inducing plasmids