Genetic Engineering

• Antibiotic


  a compound used to kill any bacteria that is not resistant to that compound (i.e. ampicillin)
• Clone


  a organism which contains DNA identical to DNA of another organism
• DNA polymerase


  the enzyme needed to make copies of DNA
• E. coli


  a common bacteria used in genetic engineering
• gel electrophoresis


  a technique used to separate pieces of DNA based on the size of the DNA
• genetic engineering


  the process of manipulating DNA to make changes in a living organism
• genetic marker


  a gene that makes it possible to select the bacteria which has the bend transformed (example penicillin)
• hybridization


  the process of crossing dissimilar individuals to produce organisms with the best traits of both (example beefalo is a cross between buffalo and domestic cattle)
• inbreeding


  the process of crossing individuals which are genetically related to each other, producing offspring genetically similar to the parents (example AKC dog breeds)
• plasmid


  a small circular piece of DNA found naturally in bacteria
• Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)


  a technique used to make more copies of a sequence of DNA
• recombinant DNA


  DNA produced by combining DNA from different organisms
• restriction enzymes


  enzymes found naturally in bacteria, used to cut DNA at a specific sequence of nucleotides
• selective breeding


  the process of crossing only the individuals with the desired traits
• transformation


  the process of a cell taking in a piece of foreign DNA and expressing that DNA (making proteins found on that DNA), the act of changing in form or shape or appearance
• transgenic


  an organism which contains genes from other species (an organism which expresses recombinant DNA)
• vector


  when talking about genetic engineering, a piece of DNA used to transfer foreign DNA into an organism, usually plasmids or viruses
• biotechnology


  the process of using technology to alter living organisms
• gene therapy


  the process of changing a gene to treat a medical disorder
• DNA microarray


  a technique used to study the expression of hundreds or even thousands of genes at one time
• DNA fingerprinting


  a technique used to analyze restriction (DNA) fragments to compare DNA from different individuals
• forensics


  The scientific study of crime scene evidence
• polyploid plants


  Plants that are larger and stronger, they contain multiple sets of chromosomes in their cells. Can be created using certain drugs.
• Penicillin


  An antibiotic, often used as a genetic marker.
• ligase


  An enzyme used in genetic engineering, it joins pieces of DNA together.
• GM foods


  genetically modified foods
• Genetic engineering is a process by which the genomes of organisms are changed by the manipulation of their DNA.
• Genetic engineering uses recombinant DNA technology to alter one or more genes.
• Genetic engineering can be used to study the genomes of organisms and to predict their function.
• Genetic engineering can be used to alter the gene that codes for a specific protein in an organism.
• Genetic engineering cannot be used to study the genomes of organisms.
• Genomics includes identifying which genes are essential and which are not.
• The most common form of genetic engineering involves putting a gene from one species into a genome of another, creating a transgenic organism.
• The first step used in creating transgenic organisms is to locate an organism with the desirable trait, which will donate the DNA.
• The donor organism is sometimes a gene that has been synthesized, but most commonly it is extracted from a donor organism.
• The second step used in creating transgenic organisms is to identify and isolate the gene that controls the trait for disease resistance.
• To isolate the gene, the DNA of the organism with the desirable trait is extracted and cut up using restriction enzymes.
• The DNA is then separated and cloned.
• Restriction enzymes are enzymes that cut DNA at specific nucleotide sequences.
• Cells can be encouraged to take up DNA by stressing them, for example, by heating, starving, electrocution, or treatment with chemicals.