Biotechnology
use of an organism's biochemical and metabolic pathways for industrial production
Restriction endonucleases
recognize specific sequences of DNA and break phosphodiester bonds between adjacent nucleotides
Restriction fragments
Used in the lab to cut DNA into smaller pieces
Ligase
rejoins phosphate-sugar bonds (sticky ends) cut by endonucleases
Reverse transcriptase
makes a DNA copy of RNA - cDNA
hybridization
Single-stranded DNA can unite with other single-stranded DNA or RNA, and RNA can unite with other RNA
gene probes
short DNA fragments of a known sequence that will base-pair with a stretch of DNA with a complementary sequence, if one exists in the sample
Southern blot method
DNA fragments are separated by electrophoresis, denatured, and then incubated with DNA probes. Probes will attach to a complementary segment if present.
Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH)
probes are applied to intact cells and observed for the presence and location of specific sequences
Useful for diagnostics or locating genes on a chromosome
DNA sequencing
determining the actual order and type of bases for all types of DNA
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
method to amplify DNA; rapidly increases the amount of DNA in a sample
Recombinant DNA technology
the intentional removal of genetic material from one organism and combining it with that of a different organism
Plasmids
small, well characterized, easy to manipulate and can be transferred into appropriate host cells through transformation
Bacteriophages
have the natural ability to inject their DNA into bacterial hosts through transduction
Recombination
The gene and plasmid combination
Pseudomonas syringae
prevents ice crystals
Bacillus thuringienisis
encodes an insecticide
Oncolytic adenoviruses
host range consists of cells that produce cancer-specific proteins
Agrobacterium tumefaciens
a natural tumor-producing bacterium
Gene therapy
correct or repair a faulty gene in humans
DNA Fingerprinting
Every individual has a unique sequence of DNA
DNA Fingerprinting is used to
Identify hereditary relationships
Study inheritance of patterns of diseases
Study human evolution
Identify criminals or victims of disaster
Microarray analysis
track the expression of thousands of genes; used to identify and devise treatments for diseases based on the genetic profile of the disease
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
method to amplify DNA; rapidly increases the amount of DNA in a sample