Chapter 7.10 Flashcards
GENE THERAPY
- replaces / repairs faulty genes
Why can gene therapy be a challenge
- the therapeutic gene must be delivered directly to the cell that needs it.
- Viruses are great vehicle however they must not alert the immune system
- gene therapy patients must express the therapeutic gene lonf enough to be beneficial to their health
ANTISENSE and GENE KNOCKOUTS
Block gene expression
ANTISENSE TECHNOLOGY how does it block genes
Exploits RNA’S ability to form a double stranded molecule
.Ribosomes cannot translate double stranded RNA and cells usually destroy it in this form.
Artificically adding an RNA sequence complimentary to a messenger RNA therefore blocks the gene
it is a type of gene inactivation called RNA interference
it can suppress the activity of any gene
What is this gene inactivation called ( antisense)
RNA Interference or RNAi
KNOCKOUT GENE technology
it blocks a gene function by replacing a normal copy of a gene with a disabled version.
it is the opposite of gene therapy
it used by researchers to compare knockout organism to their normal counterpart to learn the deleted gene’s function
Why is knockout gene technology used.
it used by researchers to compare knockout organism to their normal counterpart to learn the deleted gene’s function
DNA MICROARRAYS
AKA DNA CHIP
.it is a collection of short DNA fragments of known sequence placed in tens of thousands of defined spots on a small square glass.
it is used to MONITOR gene expression in different celltypes or in cells exposed to a variety of conditions
What is gene therapy, and why is it difficult to accomplish
Gene therapy replaces faulty genes in the genome with functioning copies. Some challenges are in directly delivering the gene to the specific cell that needs to express it, having that expression last long enough to affect a cure, and not have the viral delivery method trigger illness itself.
How do antisense RNA and gene knockouts silence genes?
Antisense RNA silences genes by adding an artificial complementary strand of RNA to mRNA, making it a double strand. Ribosomes cannot translate double-stranded mRNA. Gene knockouts silence genes by replacing a normal copy of a gene with a disabled version that will not be transcribed.
How are DNA microarrays useful
DNA microarrays can be used to quickly determine whether a particular gene or protein is present in a cell. In more practical terms, they can tell how a cancer patient will respond to a cancer drug and whether the drug will be effective against the cancer. DNA microarrays also can be used to predict how effective an antibiotic will be against a particular strain of bacteria.
