BIO02 QA

• Cloning


  1. Production of identical copies of DNA, cells, or organism

  2. Examples: bacterial colony, identical twins, asexual reproduction in plants
• Reverse Transcription PCR


  Reverse transcriptase, Complementary DNA (cDNA)
• Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)


  Organism whose genome has been modified in some way by using recombinant DNA technology
• Gene Expression


  Process of genetic information flowing from DNA to RNA to protein
• Recombinant DNA Technology (rDNA)


  1. Contains DNA from 2 or more different sources

  2. Requirements: Vector, Enzymes

  3. Plasmid + cut gene of interest = rDNA

  4. Requirements of making rDNA: Plasmids, Restriction enzyme, DNA ligase
• Gene Cloning


  1. Production of many identical copies of the same gene

  2. Importance: If inserted gene is replicated & expressed, we can recover the cloned gene or protein product

  3. Cloned genes have many research purposes

  4. Humans can be treated with gene therapy
• Transgenic Organism


  Example of GMO that has had a gene from other species inserted into its genome
• Biotechnology


  • Use of natural biological systems to create a product or achieve some other end desired by humans
  • Allows scientists to modify a variety of organisms
  • Example of biotechnology is insulin creation from human cells and bacteria
• Genome


  Entire DNA sequence of an organism
• Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)


  1. Amplifies (copies) a targeted sequence of DNA

  2. Based on the mechanism of DNA replication

  3. PCR steps: Denaturation, Annealing, Extension

  4. Reverse Transcription PCR
• Gel Electrophoresis


  1. Technique for separating DNA fragments according to their size

  2. Used in DNA fingerprinting

  3. Process: Gel slab preparation, Loading samples, Applying electric field, Separation of DNA fragments into bands
• Negatively charged particles move towards the positive terminal of the electric field
• DNA Fingerprinting can identify and distinguish among individuals based on variations in their DNA
• DNA fragments of different sizes are separated into bands


  DNA bands are usually stained with a special dye after electrophoresis so the bands can be seen
• Cas9 breaks both DNA strands and inactivates the virus
• The actual suspect should have the same DNA fragments as those found in the crime scene
• Transgenic mammals produce a product through gene pharming
• Foreign genes can be introduced into immature plant embryos or plant cells called protoplasts that have had the cell wall removed
• CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats
• Cas9 is an endonuclease enzyme utilized by the CRISPR system
• Transgenic bacteria use genes of interest inserted into bacteria
• CRISPR was first discovered in prokaryotes where it acts as a form of immune defense against invading viruses
• Gene Therapy includes the use of genes to treat genetic disorders and various human illnesses
• Transgenic salmon called the AquAdvantage salmon has been developed
• Applications of Biotechnology

  • Diagnosis and treatment of diseases
  • Gene therapy
  • Production of pharmaceuticals
  • Forensic applications
  • Bioremediation
  • Agriculture
• In DNA Fingerprinting, a sample taken from a crime scene is run together with the DNA samples from different suspects
• DNA Fingerprinting, also called DNA profiling
• DNA fragments of different sizes move across the gel at different speeds

  The shorter the fragments, the faster they move. Shorter fragments travel further than longer fragments
• CRISPR is the most widely used method
• Viruses insert their DNA into host cells, causing those cells to form new viruses
• Cas9 identifies specific sequences of nucleotides in the genomic DNA of the invading virus using a guide RNA molecule that complementary base-pairs to the genomic DNA sequences
• Biotechnology products include genetically modified plants
• Biotechnology products include genetically modified bacteria
• Genome Editing targets specific sequences in the DNA for removal or replacement
• BT Corn contains Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) which produces proteins toxic to insects and pests but safe for some plants and humans
• Cloning transgenic animals includes Dolly the Sheep
• Gene Therapy includes procedures to give patients healthy genes to make up for a faulty gene
• Gene Therapy has two types of methods: Ex vivo (outside body) and In vivo (inside body)