T19 Genetic Technology

Question 1

Restriction Endonuclease

Answer 1

An enzymes used to cut DNA at a specific base sequence

Question 2

Taq polymerase

Answer 2

An enzyme derived from bacteria that are adapted to live in hot water springs; the enzyme has a very high optimum temperature, and is used to synthesise new strands of DNA during PCR

Question 3

DNA ligase

Answer 3

An enzyme that catalyses the formation of bonds between phosphate groups and deoxyribose during the synthesis of DNA

Question 4

Reverse Transcriptase

Answer 4

An enzyme that produces complementary DNA strands using an RNA template

Question 5

Promoter

Answer 5

A length of DNA that controls the expression of a gene

Question 6

Primer

Answer 6

A short length of DNA with a base sequence complementary to the part of a DNA strand that is to be copied during PCR

Question 7

Recombinant

Answer 7

an adjective used to describe DNA or an organism in which the DNA has been modified so that it contains base sequences from more than one organism

Question 8

Vector

Answer 8

A go-between used to insert genes into a cell. Examples include liposomes, viruses and plasmids

Question 9

Bioinformatics

Answer 9

The collection processing and analysing of biological material using computerised databases

Question 10

DNA microarray

Answer 10

A small piece of glass or plastic on which thousands of tiny pieces of single stranded DNA area attached in a regular arrangement; the DNA pieces act as probes and allow rapid analysis of DNA of unknown composition

Question 11

Gel electrophoresis

Answer 11

A method of separating lengths of DNA or proteins according to their relative mass or charge

Question 12

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Answer 12

A (usually fully automated) method of rapidly producing many copies of a small DNA sample

Question 13

Amniocentesis

Answer 13

Taking a small sample of amniotic fluid during 15th of 16th week of pregnancy, so that the genotype of the fetus can be determined

Question 14

Chorionic Villus Sampling

Answer 14

Taking small sample from one of the villi in the placenta, between the tenth and 13th week of pregnancy, so that the genotype of the fetus can determined

Question 15

Embryo Biopsy

Answer 15

The medial procedure that involves taking small samples of tissues from any embryo for further analysis

Question 16

Embryo preselection

Answer 16

Genetic profiling of embryos to determine which should be implanted

Question 17

Embryo transfer

Answer 17

Embryos are removed from a female mammal and transferred to one or more surrogate mothers to complete development until birth

Question 18

Gene therapy

Answer 18

inserting DNA into the cells of an organism to correct a harmful genetic condition

Question 19

Genetic counselling

Answer 19

The giving of information and advise to potential parents about the risks of having children with an inherited disease

Question 20

Genetic profiling (fingerprinting)

Answer 20

Sequencing a length of DNA from an organism, to compare with the sequence of the same DNA from other organisms

Question 21

Genetic screening

Answer 21

Testing an embryo, fetus or adult to find out whether a particular allele is present

Question 22

Genome

Answer 22

The genetic complement (genes) of an organism of of an individual cell - the whole of the genetic information of an organism

Question 23

In vitro fertilisation (IVF)

Answer 23

The addition of sperm to eggs in a Petri dish or other container, in which fertilisation takes place

Question 24

Liposome

Answer 24

A small sphere of lipid and protein; it can be used in genetic technology to transport DNA into a cell

Question 25

Therapeutic abortion

Answer 25

Terminating a pregnancy for medical reason

Question 26

Variable number tandem repeat (VNTR)

Answer 26

A length of DNA that contains different number of repeated base sequences in different individuals in a species