Unit 6, Topic 8: Biotechnology

Question 1

technique used to separate molecules on the basis of size using electric charge

Answer 1

gel electrophoresis

Question 2

technique used to amplify DNA

Answer 2

PCR

Question 3

the process of determining the sequence of nucleotide bases (As, Ts, Cs, and Gs) in a piece of DNA.

Answer 3

DNA sequencing

Question 4

Why does DNA move during gel electrophoresis?

Answer 4

Because DNA is negatively charged and moves towards the positively charged electrode

Question 5

How does gel electrophoresis separate DNA fragments?

Answer 5

Using charge.

Question 6

During gel electrophoresis, which size of DNA (long vs short fragment) will move the furthest? Why?

Answer 6

Shorter strands because they are lighter

Question 7

In which direction does DNA move during gel electrophoresis?

Answer 7

Towards the anode (positively charged electrode)

Question 8

What if you were performing gel electrophoresis and the molecule you were examining moved towards the negative electrode? What does this mean about the charge of the molecule you are analyzing?

Answer 8

The charge of the molecule is positive

Question 9

How can PCR be used to produce copies of a gene?

Answer 9

by making a copy of a piece of DNA and at the same time adding restriction sites to the ends of that piece of DNA so that it can be easily cloned into a plasmid of interest.

Question 10

What are restriction enzymes? Where do they come from?

Answer 10

a protein that cleaves DNA sequences at sequence-specific sites, producing DNA fragments with a known sequence at each end. They come from bacteria.

Question 11

Can a transformed organism pass on its new traits to its offspring?

Answer 11

yes