Recombinant DNA And Biotechnology

Question 1

The discovery of what enzymes paved the way for the development of recombinant DNA technologies?

Answer 1

Restriction enzymes also known as restriction endonucleases

Question 2

These restriction enzymes occur in prokaryotes and Arachaea, where they act as a defense system against invading viruses by cleaving DNA in response to specific __________ _____, corresponding to sequences of 4-8 bases

Answer 2

Recognition sites

Question 3

These recognition sites are usually involved in some degree of symmetry

Answer 3

Palindromic sequences

5’—>3’ sequences are the same for each strand

Question 4

Blunt ends vs sticky ends

Answer 4

Blunt- Cleaves DNA sequence vertically (ex. Smal)

Sticky- Cleaves DNA in a zigzag fashion (ex. EcoRI)

Question 5

Restriction enzymes are important because they can generate fragments that can be “tied” back together by ______ ______ without respecting the original location of the sequences

Answer 5

DNA ligase

Question 6

The process in which sequences of DNA from two different species can be combined when digested with the same restriction enzyme then use DNA ligase to tie back together.

Answer 6

Recombination

Question 7

These are DNA molecules used too carry genetic material into a cell where it can be replicated or expressed to make large quantities of those DNA sequences.

Answer 7

Vectors

Question 8

Two types of vectors

Answer 8

Plasmids and bacteriophages

Question 9

Short circular DNA molecules that can replicate independently in bacteria

Answer 9

Plasmids
*Recombinant plasmids carrying human DNA inserts can be introduced into E.coli, where they replicate along with the bacteria to yield millions of copies of plasmid DNA

Question 10

Antibiotic resistance

Answer 10

Kill e.coli cells that did not take up the plasmid by adding antibiotic in the culture

Question 11

To distinguish between the non-recombinant and recombinant plasmids, we use a

Answer 11

Reporter gene- express a phenotypic change such as a change in color when it is a recombinant DNA

Question 12

Diagram of plasmid

Answer 12

Biology book, pg. 114

Question 13

A feature of the plasmid that tells host cell DNA polymerase to initiate replication

Answer 13

Origin of replication

Question 14

Feature of plasmid: recognition sit for a restriction enzyme to cleave DNA

Answer 14

Restriction site

Question 15

Feature of plasmid that allows selection of bacteria that have taken up the plasmid

Answer 15

Antibiotic resistance gene

Question 16

Feature of plasmid that distinguishes bacteria with recombinant plasmids from those with non-recombinant plasmids

Answer 16

Reporter gene

Question 17

Limitation of plasmids?

Answer 17

Size- can only generally contain 2-4 kb of DNA

Question 18

Bacteriophage lambda vectors vs Bacteriophage P1 vector

Answer 18

Bacteriophage lambda- can only do up to 15kb

P1- can do more than that

Question 19

Major difference between plasmid vectors and bacteriophage vectors?

Answer 19

Bacteriophage vectors work by stripping out non-essential genes to carry recombinant sequences

Question 20

RNA can also be cloned, through the generation of?

Answer 20

Complementary DNA (cDNA)- complementary to the template RNA
cDNA can be lighted to vector DNA

Question 21

Term that refers to any organism whose genome has been modified, for practical purposes or elucidate the function of genes

Answer 21

Transgenic

Question 22

Those in which one or more genes have been disabled. The goal of such research is to compadre the functionality of organisms without a functioning copy of a given gene with wild-type organisms, in order to obtain more information about the function of the gene

Answer 22

Knockout organisms

Question 23

An ongoing research that found theoretically allow the effective treatment of devastating genetic disorders. The idea is to splice in a functional copy of a gene in the cells of a patient with a nonfunctional allele.

Answer 23

Gene therapy

Question 24

DNA technology in pharmacology

Answer 24

Many substances crucial for medial treatment are now produced by recombinant bacteria, such as insulin, tumors necrosis factor, interferons. And components of vaccines.

Question 25

Genetically-engineered strains of crops

Answer 25

Have the ability to be pesticide-resistant, grow in wider range of conditions,a nod even contain nutrients such as the golden rice (has beta-carotene)
*this is very controversial and has been banned in different areas in teh US

Question 26

Stem cell therapy- another controversial research- as this has to be taken from the embryo

Answer 26

These ethical and legal concerns are part of the reason why so much excitement has accompanied the research into reprogramming adult stem cells to become pluripotent (which mean stem cell)

Question 27

Stem cell therapy controversy

Answer 27

2001- Pres. George Bush implemented a policy restricting federal funding to research on pre-existing human embryonic stem cell lines
2009- Pres. Barack Obama issued an executive order to remove some of these restrictions