Genetic comparison and DNA hybridisation Flashcards
What is genome sequencing?
Science that allows an entire base sequence of an organisms DNA to be determined, and then compared to the DNA of another organism to see how related they are.
How is DNA sequenced?
By automatic machines and computers. DNA is tagged with fluorescent dye: adenine (green), thymine (red), cytosine (blue), and guanine (yellow). Comparing it to another species or an individual allows us to determine how diverse they are.
What is DNA hybridisation?
The mixing of different DNA strands at different temperatures to test their relation. They’re heated to uncoil, coil with one another and are heated again until hydrogen bonds break. The higher the temperature, the more hydrogen bonds and the more related
Why are amino acid sequences compared for genetic comparison?
The sequence of amino acids in a protein is coded by the base in DNA. Related organisms have similar DNA sequences and so similar amino acid sequences in their proteins. The more similar the AA sequence, the more closely related.
Why are immunological comparisons used for genetic comparison?
Similar proteins will bind to the same antibodies. If antibodies to a human version of a protein are added to isolated samples from some other species, any protein that’s like the human version will be recognised (bound) by that antibody
