Genetic Engineering Flashcards
What is genetic engineering?
Manipulating a genome to achieve a desired outcome
What is a transgenic organism?
An organism that carries a gene from a different organism
What is recombinant DNA?
DNA from two organisms which has been combined
What are the two ways of isolating a gene??
Use restriction endonuclease
Isolate the mRNA to create cDNA
How do you use restriction endonuclease to isolate a gene?
Cut at a specific base sequence using enzyme
Can produce two different types of ends
-sticky ends
-blunt ends
What are sticky ends??
Exposed ends of DNA left from the isolation of a gene, which aren’t connected to any complimentary base pairs
What are blunt ends?
The ends which are left when a gene is cut (to isolate a gene) which all have matched up nucleotides
How do you use mRNA to isolate a gene?
You isolate the mRNA which codes for the gene you are after, you convert it to cDNA (complimentary DNA) using reverse transcriptase
What do vectors do?
They transfer genes to a new organism
What is a plasmid?
A circular bit of DNA in a bacterial cell
What enzyme is used to attach and gene to a different plasmid? And what bonds are formed?
DNA ligase
Phosphodiester bonds
What is electroporation??
A small electric current is transmitted to a bacterial cell, this makes the membrane more porous, this allows the vector to move in
What is electrofusion?
You add a small electric current to a cell, this joins the two cell, the nuclear membranes join together to create a hybrid cell
