DNA Technology Part 1 - (Week 10) Flashcards
Define biotechnology
The manipulation of organisms or their components to make useful products
Define the term DNA technology
The study and manipulation of genetic material
What is genetic engineering?
The direct manipulation of an organism’s genes using biotechnology for practical purposes
What can ‘genetic engineering’ generate?
The manipulation of DNA & genes allow us to generate recombinant DNA
Briefly explain what Recombinant DNA technology involves
- It involves the joining of DNA pieces from different species and subsequently inserting the hybrid DNA into a host cell to make copies of it and/or express the genes of it
- It alters genetic material outside & inside the organism to obtain enhanced & desired characteristics in living organisms
What is usually used as the ‘host cell’ for recombinant DNA technology?
Usually simpler organisms e.g bacteria
Give at least 2 applications of DNA technology
- Agriculture (transgenic plants - desired gene that allows for high crop yield/resistance to bacteria)
- Forensic use (DNA profiling)
- Medical research (detecting genetic disorders, gene therapy, producing therapeutic agents)
- Human genome project (genetic mapping, DNA sequencing, genome analysis)
Give the 4 main steps of genetic engineering/gene cloning in practice
- Identify gene & find a method of replicating (copying) the gene - PCR
- Digestion of gene & vector - cut DNA w/ restriction enzymes
- Ligation of gene & vector, transformation & amplification
- Selection & identification (of bacterial cells that have recombinant DNA plasmids) - e.g. restriction digest, gel electrophoresis
What is cloning?
In biotech, cloning refers to processes used to create exact (genetic) copies of:
- DNA fragments (molecular/genetic/DNA cloning)
- Cells (cell cloning, therapeutic cloning)
- Organisms (reproductive cloning)
Give 2 examples where clones occur naturally
- Asexual reproduction (a new individual is generated from a single organism & inherit the genes of that parent only)
- Natural clones (a fertilised egg splits, creating 2 or more embryos that carry almost identical DNA - identical twins)
What is DNA cloning?
Creating multiple identical copies of well-defined DNA segments
What is a vector?
A section of DNA that can incorporate another DNA fragment without losing the capacity for self replication (allows DNA piece to also be replicated)
What is a hybrid vector?
A vector containing an additional DNA fragment
What are plasmids and what is their role in terms of molecular/gene cloning?
- Plasmids are small circular DNA molecules that replicate separately from the bacterial chromosome
- Researchers can insert DNA into plasmids to produce recombinant DNA
What is recombinant DNA?
A molecule with DNA from two different sources
