DNA and Biotechnology

Question 1

dense, transcriptionally silent DNA; found at the centromere

Answer 1

heterochromatin

Question 2

less dense, transcriptionally active DNA

Answer 2

euchromatin

Question 3

synthesizes new DNA; reads 3’ to 5’, synthesizes 5’ to 3’; has proofreading ability

Answer 3

DNA polymerase

Question 4

a set of specialized proteins that assist DNA polymerase in DNA replication

Answer 4

replisome (replication complex)

Question 5

replisome:

begin unwinding at origin of replication, producing two replication forks on either side of the origin

Answer 5

helicases

Question 6

replisome:

create nicks in DNA backbone to release torsional strain

Answer 6

topoisomerases

Question 7

replisome:

puts down RNA primer to allow DNA polymerase to attach to the parent strand and begin synthesizing the new strand

Answer 7

primase

Question 8

replication bubble:

only requires one primer

Answer 8

leading strand

Question 9

replication bubble:

requires many primers and contains Okazaki fragments

Answer 9

lagging strand

Question 10

replisome:

fuses old parent and new daughter DNA strands together

Answer 10

ligase

Question 11

DNA composed of nucleotides from two different sources

Answer 11

recombinant DNA

Question 12

introduces a fragment of DNA into a vector plasmid; a restriction enzyme cuts both the plasmid and the fragment, which are left with sticky ends; once the fragment binds to the plasmid, it can be introduced into a bacterial cell and permitted to replicate, generating many copies of the fragment of interest

Answer 12

DNA cloning

Question 13

the joining of complimentary base pair sequences

Answer 13

hybridization

Question 14

a process by which millions of copies of a DNA sequence can be created from a very small sample by hybridization

Answer 14

polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Question 15

can be used to separate DNA molecules by size

Answer 15

agarose gel electrophoresis

Question 16

technique used to isolate DNA:
can be used to detect the presence and quantity of various DNA strands in a sample; after electrophoresis, the sample is transferred to a membrane that can be probed with labeled ssDNA molecules that can bind to and indicate a sequence of interest

Answer 16

southern blot

Question 17

technique used to detect RNA

Answer 17

Northern blot

Question 18

technique that is used to detect a specific protein; can also be used to analyze post-translational modifications of proteins such as histone acetylation

Answer 18

western blot

Question 19

a method of curing genetic deficiencies by introducing a functional gene with a viral vector

Answer 19

gene therapy

Question 20

a technique that separates only on the basis of molecular mass

Answer 20

centrifugation

Question 21

an immunological assay commonly used to measure antibodies, antigens, proteins and glycoproteins in biological samples

Answer 21

enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)