Producing DNA fragments Flashcards
What is recombinant DNA technology?
A technique that allows genes to be manipulated, altered and transferred between organisms, even transforming DNA itself
What were the traditional methods of treating deficiencies in metabolic chemicals?
Traditional treatment involved extracting the chemical from human or animal donors and introducing it into patients
What are the disadvantages of traditional methods for treating protein deficiencies?
Problems include immune system rejection , risk of infection and high costs
How does recombinant DNA technology overcome the problems of traditional treatments?
It allows for the production of large quantities of pure proteins by cloning genes and transferring them into microorganisms that act as factories
What is recombinant DNA?
Dna that has been combined from two different organisms
What is a transgenic organism?
Also known as a genetically modified organism is an organism that contains recombinant DNA, which receives DNA from another organism to transcribe and translate it to produce proteins
What is the role of microorganisms in recombinant DNA technology?
Microorganisms are used as factories to continuously produce the desired protein alter gene transfer
Why can the DNA of one organism function normally in a different species?
The genetic code is universal, meaning it is the same in all living organisms allowing transferred DNA to be interpreted and used
What are the stages involved in making a protein using the DNA technology of gene transfer and cloning?
- (ISOLATION) Isolate DNA fragments with desired gene
- (INSERTION) Insert the DNA fragment into the vector
- (TRANSFORMATION) Transfer DNA into suitable host cells
- (IDENTIFICATION) Identify host cells that have successfully taken up the desirable gene, using gene markers
- (GROWTH/CLONING) Grow and clone the population of host cells
What must happen before a gene can be transplanted into a recipient organism?
The gene must be identified and isolated from, the rest of the DNA
What are the three main methods of producing DNA fragments?
- Conversion of mRNA to cDNA using reverse transcriptase
- Using restriction endonuclease to cut fragments containing the desired gene from DNA
- Creating the gene in a gene machine, usually based n known protein structure
How does reverse transcriptase help in producing DNA fragments?
It converts mRNA into complementary DNA (cDNA), which contains the sequence of the desired gene
What is the role of restriction endonucleases in producing DNA fragments?
They cut DNA at specific recognition sequences to isolate the fragment containing the desired gene
How is a gene created using a gene machine?
A gene machine synthesizes the gene based on a known protein structure or sequence
