Summarizing Biotechnology

Summary

Nucleic acids can be isolated from cells for the purposes of further analysis by breaking open the cells and enzymatically destroying all other major macromolecules. Fragmented or whole chromosomes can be separated on the basis of size by gel electrophoresis. Short stretches of DNA or RNA can be amplified by PCR. Southern and northern blotting can be used to detect the presence of specific short sequences in a DNA or RNA sample. The term “cloning” may refer to cloning small DNA fragments (molecular cloning), cloning cell populations (cellular cloning), or cloning entire organisms (reproductive cloning). Genetic testing is performed to identify disease-causing genes, and gene therapy is used to cure an inheritable disease.

Transgenic organisms possess DNA from a different species, usually generated by molecular cloning techniques. Vaccines, antibiotics, and hormones are examples of products obtained by recombinant DNA technology. Transgenic plants are usually created to improve characteristics of crop plants.

Glossary

antibiotic resistance

ability of an organism to be unaffected by the actions of an antibiotic

biotechnology

use of biological agents for technological advancement

cellular cloning

production of identical cell populations by binary fission

clone

exact replica

foreign DNA

DNA that belongs to a different species or DNA that is artificially synthesized

gel electrophoresis

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

gene targeting

method for altering the sequence of a specific gene by introducing the modified version on a vector

gene therapy

technique used to cure inheritable diseases by replacing mutant genes with good genes

genetic diagnosis

diagnosis of the potential for disease development by analyzing disease-causing genes

genetic engineering

alteration of the genetic makeup of an organism

genetic testing

process of testing for the presence of disease-causing genes

genetically modified organism (GMO)

organism whose genome has been artificially changed

host DNA

DNA that is present in the genome of the organism of interest

lysis buffer

solution used to break the cell membrane and release cell contents

molecular cloning

cloning of DNA fragments

multiple cloning site (MCS)

site that can be recognized by multiple restriction endonucleases

northern blotting

transfer of RNA from a gel to a nylon membrane

polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

technique used to amplify DNA

probe

small DNA fragment used to determine if the complementary sequence is present in a DNA sample

protease

enzyme that breaks down proteins

recombinant DNA

combination of DNA fragments generated by molecular cloning that does not exist in nature; also known as a chimeric molecule

recombinant protein

protein product of a gene derived by molecular cloning

reproductive cloning

cloning of entire organisms

restriction endonuclease

enzyme that can recognize and cleave specific DNA sequences

reverse genetics

method of determining the function of a gene by starting with the gene itself instead of starting with the gene product

reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR)

PCR technique that involves converting RNA to DNA by reverse transcriptase

ribonuclease

enzyme that breaks down RNA

Southern blotting

transfer of DNA from a gel to a nylon membrane

Ti plasmid

plasmid system derived from Agrobacterium tumifaciens that has been used by scientists to introduce foreign DNA into plant cells

transgenic

organism that receives DNA from a different species