Unit. 12: Biotechnology

Question 1

Gene Therapy

Answer 1

The replacement of a gene to cure a genetic disease.

Question 2

Stem Cells

Answer 2

Undifferentiated cells which can be used to grow new tissues or organs

Question 3

Cloning

Answer 3

The creation of a genetically identical individual in a laboratory

Question 4

DNA fingerprinting

Answer 4

The use of DNA and electrophoresis to compare DNA

Question 5

Genetic Engineering

Answer 5

The addition of foreign or artificial genes to an organism’s genome

Question 6

Steps to do gene therapy

Answer 6

Get the normal gene, put it into an empty virus, infect the patient

Question 7

Steps to obtain stem cells

Answer 7

Harvest from bone marrow or umbilical chord blood, or, make a cloned embryo and get the embryonic stem cells.

Question 8

Steps to do cloning (of animals)

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

Steps to do DNA fingerprinting

Answer 9

Obtain purified DNA samples. Cut with restriction enzymes. Load into gel, do gel electrophoresis, stain gel. Interpret results.

Question 10

Steps to genetically engineer a bacterium

Answer 10

Splice the new gene into a plasmid. Heat shock the bacteria to make them pick up the new plasmid.

Question 11

Steps to genetically engineer a plant

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

Steps to genetically engineer an animal

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

Restriction enzymes

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Gel electrophoresis

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

Plasmid

Answer 15

A circular piece of DNA. Only in bacteria.

Question 16

Pros and Cons of using embryonic stem cells

Answer 16

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?

Question 17

Pros and Cons of cloning humans

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

Pros and Cons of genetic engineering

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

Uses for DNA fingerprinting

Answer 19

Forensics (solving crimes, identifying missing person)

Paternity cases

Question 20

Recombinant DNA

Answer 20

DNA from two sources, linked together by ligase. Often the first step in genetic engineering.

Question 21

Heat shocking

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

De-extinction

Answer 22

The idea of using cloning to bring back extinct organisms. Could only be done with organisms for which we have DNA samples (no dinosaurs).