Unit. 12: Biotechnology Flashcards
Gene Therapy
The replacement of a gene to cure a genetic disease.
Stem Cells
Undifferentiated cells which can be used to grow new tissues or organs
Cloning
The creation of a genetically identical individual in a laboratory
DNA fingerprinting
The use of DNA and electrophoresis to compare DNA
Genetic Engineering
The addition of foreign or artificial genes to an organism’s genome
Steps to do gene therapy
Get the normal gene, put it into an empty virus, infect the patient
Steps to obtain stem cells
Harvest from bone marrow or umbilical chord blood, or, make a cloned embryo and get the embryonic stem cells.
Steps to do cloning (of animals)
Get progenitor’s DNA, get an egg cell from a female. Empty the egg cell’s DNA and replace it with the progenitor’s DNA. Shock with electricity to start the embryo dividing. Implant embryo in a surrogate mother.
Steps to do DNA fingerprinting
Obtain purified DNA samples. Cut with restriction enzymes. Load into gel, do gel electrophoresis, stain gel. Interpret results.
Steps to genetically engineer a bacterium
Splice the new gene into a plasmid. Heat shock the bacteria to make them pick up the new plasmid.
Steps to genetically engineer a plant
Splice the new gene into a plasmid. Heat shock the bacteria to make them pick up the new plasmid. Use those bacteria to infect the plant.
Steps to genetically engineer an animal
Technique 1: Add the new gene to an empty virus. Infect the embryo with the virus.
Technique 2: Coat pellets with new gene and use gene gun to shoot gene into the nucleus.
Restriction enzymes
Enzymes found in the nucleus which cut specific DNA sequences. Create “sticky ends” which can be used to splice DNA from different sources together.
Ex: EcoRI, Hind III, Bam HI
Gel electrophoresis
A way of separating a mixture of DNA fragments or proteins. Samples are pipetted into wells and the electrical current causes the samples to move through the gel. Samples that are smaller or which have a greater attraction to the negative end will move faster though the gel.
Plasmid
A circular piece of DNA. Only in bacteria.
Pros and Cons of using embryonic stem cells
Pro: get stem cells to cure patients
Con: Is the embryo alive? If so, are we creating and possibly destroying a human life just to get stem cells?
Pros and Cons of cloning humans
Pro: new way of making babies, especially for infertile couples
Con: Challenges our ideas about the traditional family. Fears of cloning armies or multitudes as human slaves.
Pros and Cons of genetic engineering
Pro: Can use bacteria as protein factories. Can make more food, containing more nutrients, easier to grow.
Con: Long term health risks are unknown, genetic pollution of nature, may lead to increased use of herbicides.
Uses for DNA fingerprinting
Forensics (solving crimes, identifying missing person)
Paternity cases
Recombinant DNA
DNA from two sources, linked together by ligase. Often the first step in genetic engineering.
Heat shocking
A technique in which bacteria are exposes to big temperature changes. It weakens their cell wall and cell membrane so that gaps open and a plasmid can be sucked inside the cell.
De-extinction
The idea of using cloning to bring back extinct organisms. Could only be done with organisms for which we have DNA samples (no dinosaurs).
