dna technology and bioinformatics notes Flashcards
restriction enzymes
specific enzymes that will cut dna molecules at specific nucletide sequences.
the place where dna gets cut is called a restriction site.
these enzymes come from many types of bacteria such as e.coli. that enzymes are called restriction enzymes because they restrict the effects of viruses on the bacterial genome.
some restriction enzymes leave straight ends when the DNA gets cut called blunt ends.
others leave behind tails of free dna bases on each side of the cut called sticky ends; allow the DNA to hookon to complimentary base pairs easily like velcro.
gel electrophoresis and restriction maps
once dna has been cut by restriction enzymes it can be loaded into a gel.
the gel will then have an electrical current passed through it to seperate the dna fragments based on size.
this process is called gel electrophoresis and causes a pattern of bands known as a restriction map.
polymerase chain reaction
a technique that produces million of copies of a specific dna sequence in just a few hours.
uses heatand an enzyme called dna polymerase.
this process is especially helpful in crime scenes where small amounts of dna samples can be replicated for study in a short period of time.
dna fingerprinting
each person has a unique genome
therefore each person has a unique dna fingerprinting that can be used to identify an individual at a molecular level.
the process focuses on repeating sequences of nucleotides that do not code for proteins.
what is genetic engineering
genetic engineering changes an organisms dna to give it new traits.
this process is based on the use of recombinant dna technology.
transgenic organisms- organisms that have one or more genes from another organism inserted into the genome.
cloning
clones are genitically indentical copies of genes or entire organisms.
to make a clone, an unfertilized egg is taken from an animal and the nucleas is removed.
next, the nucleas from a cell of the animal to be cloned is inserted into the egg and is stimulated to divide.
dolly the sheep in 1997 was the first clone of an adult mammal.
plants have been cloned for centuries mainlybecause the process is easyand many plants have tissues that develop identiical individuals.
genomics
genomics is the study of organisms
a genome is all the genetic material in an organism
most begin with gene sequencing, this determines the order of dna nucleotides in genes.
human genome
began in 1990 with two main goals;map and sequence all of the dna base pairs of the human genome, identify all of the genes within the sequence.
thefirst goal was completed in 2003, but is incomplete because only a few people were analyzed.
Work is still being done on part 2.
some scientists started a new project called hapmap to determine how dna sequences vary among people.
bioinformatics
the use of computer databases to organize and analyze biological data.
include proteomics, the study and comparison of all the proteins that result from an organisms genome.
genetic screening and gene therapy
genetic screening is the process of testing dna to determine a persons risk of passing on a genetic disorder.
gene therapy is the replacement of a detective/missing gene or the addition of a new gene into a persons genome to treat a disease.
