Chapter 20 Key Terms & Roots
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Created by:
EricaSeifert on January 6, 2009
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39 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) | An artificial version of a bacterial chromosome that can carry inserts of 100,000-500,000 base pairs. |
| biotechnology | The manipulation of living organisms or their components to produce useful products. |
| cDNA library | A limited gene library using complementary DNA. The library includes only the genes that were transcribed in the cells examined. |
| chromosome walking | A DNA mapping technique that begins with a gene or other sequence that has already been cloned, mapped, and sequenced and "walks" along the chromosomal DNA from that locus, producing a map of overlapping restriction fragments. |
| cloning vector | An agent used to transfer DNA in genetic engineering. A plasmid that moves recombinant DNA from a test tube back into a cell is an example of a cloning vector, as is a virus that transfers recombinant DNA by infection. |
| complimentary DNA (cDNA) | A DNA molecule made in vitro using mRNA as a template and the enzyme reverse transcriptase. A cDNA molecule therefore corresponds to a gene, but lacks the introns present in the DNA of the genome. |
| denaturation | For proteins, a process in which a protein unravels and loses its native conformation, thereby becoming biologically inactive. For DNA, the separation of the two strands of the double helix. Denaturation occurs under extreme conditions of pH, salt concentration, and temperature. |
| DNA fingerprint | An individual's unique collection of DNA restriction fragments, detected by electrophoresis and nucleic acid probes. |
| DNA ligase | A linking enzyme essential for DNA replication; catalyzes the covalent bonding of the 39 end of a new DNA fragment to the 59 end of a growing chain. |
| DNA microarray assays | A method to detect and measure the expression of thousands of genes at one time. Tiny amounts of a large number of single-stranded DNA fragments representing different genes are fixed to a glass slide. These fragments, ideally representing all the genes of an organism, are tested for hybridization with various samples of cDNA molecules. |
| electroporation | A technique to introduce recombinant DNA into cells by applying a brief electrical pulse to a solution containing cells. The electricity creates temporary holes in the cells' plasma membranes, through which DNA can enter. |
| expression vector | A cloning vector that contains the requisite prokaryotic promoter just upstream of a restriction site where a eukaryotic gene can be inserted. |
| gel electrophoresis | The separation of nucleic acids or proteins, on the basis of their size and electrical charge, by measuring their rate of movement through an electrical field in a gel. |
| gene cloning | The production of multiple copies of a gene. |
| gene therapy | The alternation of the genes of a person afflicted with a genetic disease. |
| genetic engineering | The direct manipulation of genes for practical purposes. |
| genetically modified (GM) organisms | An organism that has acquired one or more genes by artificial means; also known as a transgenic organism. |
| genomic library | A set of thousands of DNA segments from a genome, each carried by a plasmid, phage, or other cloning vector. |
| genomics | The study of whole sets of genes and their interactions. |
| Human Genome Project | An international collaborative effort to map and sequence the DNA of the entire human genome. |
| in vitro mutagenesis | A technique to discover the function of a gene by introducing specific changes into the sequence of a cloned gene, reinserting the mutated gene into a cell, and studying the phenotype of the mutant. |
| nucleic acid hybridization | Base pairing between a gene and a complementary sequence on another nucleic acid molecule. |
| polymerase chain reaction (PCR) | A technique for amplifying DNA in vitro by incubating with special primers, DNA polymerase molecules, and nucleotides. |
| recombinant DNA | A DNA molecule made in vitro with segments from different sources. |
| restriction enzyme | A degradative enzyme that recognizes and cuts up DNA (including that of certain phages) that is foreign to a bacterium. |
| restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) | Differences in DNA sequence on homologous chromosomes that can result in different patterns of restriction fragment lengths (DNA segments resulting from treatment with restriction enzymes); useful as genetic markers for making linkage maps. |
| restriction site | A specific sequence on a DNA strand that is recognized as a "cut site" by a restriction enzyme. |
| RNA interference (RNAi) | A technique to silence the expression of selected genes in nonmammalian organisms. The method uses synthetic double-stranded RNA molecules matching the sequence of a particular gene to trigger the breakdown of the gene's messenger RNA. |
| single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) | One base-pair variation in the genome sequence. |
| Southern blotting | A hybridization technique that enables researchers to determine the presence of certain nucleotide sequences in a sample of DNA. |
| sticky end | A single-stranded end of a double-stranded DNA restriction fragment. |
| Ti plasmid | A plasmid of a tumor-inducing bacterium that integrates a segment of its DNA into the host chromosome of a plant; frequently used as a carrier for genetic engineering in plants. |
| yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) | Yeast artificial chromosomes; vectors that combine the essentials of a eukaryotic chromosome, an origin for DNA replication, a centromere, and two telomeres, with foreign DNA. |
| liga- | bound, tied |
| electro- | electricity |
| muta- | change |
| -genesis | origin, birth |
| poly- | many |
| morph- | form |
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