Genetic Technologies

Question 1

Recombinant DNA

Answer 1

DNA formed artificially by combining specific sections of DNA from different organisms

Question 2

Artificial Insemination

Answer 2

A method in which male gametes is collected and injected into a female organism’s uterus or womb at the appropriate time.

Type of selective breeding technology. Low biodiversity.

Question 3

Artificial Pollination

Answer 3

Involves the manual transfer of pollen into the stigma of another plant to combine with the ovule of the plant.

Cross pollination and self-pollination

Question 4

Whole Organism Cloning

Answer 4

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT)

In this process, an empty egg cell, with haploid nucleus destroyed using UV radiation and removed, is obtained from a female organism, a process known as enucleation. The organism which scientists want to clone is fused with the empty egg cell.

Question 5

Gene Cloning

Answer 5

A gene clone is an exact copy of a single gene.

Question 6

Transgenic Organisms

Answer 6

Is created using genetic engineering to insert one or more foreign genes into an organism’s genome. Gives desired traits to the transgenic organism.

Question 7

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

Answer 7

PCR is a biotechnological process that is used to rapidly make millions of copies of a gene. It involves amplifying specific gene sequences by multiple cycles of replication, heating and cooling. This rapidly produces large quantities of the required DNA.

Question 8

Recombinant DNA Technology

Answer 8

A technology used to create transgenic species.

Process:
1. Desired gene to be inserted into an organism
2. Restriction enzyme is used to cut the DNA sequence in the organism containing the desired gene and a plasmid DNA molecule in order to transfer DNA of one species to another.
3. An enzyme called ligase is used to repair and consolidate the cut out gene so that it combines with the plasmid DNA.

Question 9

Transgenic Species

Answer 9

An organism that has been altered through recombinant DNA technology.

Question 10

Advantages and Disadvantages of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT)

Answer 10

Advantages:
Cloning is used to produce offspring that are genetically identical to organisms with favourable characteristics. Cloning can allow the replication of organisms that have favourable characteristics at a large scale.

Disadvantages:
Lowers the genetic diversity and variation of the species population. Any mutation that may occur in the DNA of the original somatic cells is transferred into the cloned offspring.