| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Selective breeding | When humans pass desired traits on to the next generation of organisms. |
| Hybridization | When humans cross dissimilar individuals to bring together desired traits. |
| Inbreeding | The continued breeding of individuals with similar characteristics to maintain desired characteristics. Most domesticated plants and animals have been developed this way. |
| Risks of Inbreeding | Harmful recessive alleles are more likely to appear together, organisms are more susceptible to disease, reduces variation in the species. |
| Increasing variation | Breeders can increase the genetic variation in a population by inducing mutations, which are the ultimate source of genetic variability. Increase the mutation rate with radiation or chemicals. Use chemicals to prevent chromosomal separation during meiosis in plants. Results in polyploidy plants that have improved characteristics. |
| Polyploidy | Polyploidy is a condition in which an organism has many sets of chromosomes. |
| Techniques used in Genetic Engineering | Restriction enzymes, gel electrophoresis, plasmids in bacteria, PCR |
| Restriction Enzymes | Enzymes that cuts DNA at a specific sequence of nucleotides. |
| Gel Electrophoresis | Procedure used to separate and analyze DNA fragments at one end of a porous gel and applying an electrical voltage to the gel. This process can be used to compare the genomes of different organisms or different individuals. It can also be used to locate and identify one particular gene out of the millions of genes in an individual's genome. |
| Transformation | Inserting genes to create transgenic organisms |
| Plasmids | A small, circular DNA molecule that is removed and reinserted into bacteria. |
| Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) | Technique that allows molecular biologists to make many copies of a particular gene. |
| Recombinant DNA | DNA molecules that are produced by combining DNA from different sources. |
| Transgenic bacteria | Donor gene (ex. insulin) removed from human DNA using restriction enzyme, plasmid opened with the same restriction enzyme, insulin gene inserted in plasmid (Recombinant DNA now), plasmid reintroduced into bacteria (host cell), bacteria produces insulin. |
| Transgenic plants | Plants are infected with bacteria whose plasmids usually cause tumors (galls) in plants. The tumor producing gene is inactivated and the bacterial plasmid instead only introduces the desired donor gene. |
| Transgenic animals | DNA can be injected directly into the cells, or host genes can be replaced with the donor gene. |
| Clone | Member of a population of genetically identical organisms produced from a single cell. |
| Genetic marker | A gene that makes it possible to distinguish bacteria that carry the plasmid (and the foreign DNA) from those that don't. |
| Transgenic organisms | Organisms that contain genes from other organisms. |
| Process of cloning | A donor cell is taken from one organism. An egg cell is taken from another organism. The nucleus of the egg cell is removed. The two cells are fused using an electric shock. The fused cells begins diving normally. The embryo is placed in the uterus of a surrogate. The embryo develops normally and identically to the donor. |
| DNA fingerprinting | Analysis of sections of DNA that have little or no known function, but vary widely from one individual to another, in order to identify individuals. |
| Process of DNA fingerprinting | Restriction enzymes are used to cut the DNA into fragments containing genes and repeats. The DNA fragments are separated according to size using gel electrophoresis. The fragments containing repeats are then labeled using radioactive probes. This produces a series of bands which is the DNA fingerprint. |
| Human Genome Project | An attempt to sequence all human DNA which was completed in June 2000. |
| Gene Therapy | When an absent or faulty gene is replaced by a normal, working gene. The body then makes the correct enzyme or other protein it needs. Viruses (modified to make them harmless) are often used as a vector because they enter the cell's DNA. The correct gene is first inserted into the virus, then the patient is infected with the virus to carry the gene into the cell. |
| Three advantages of GM foods | 1) Bt corn enables farmers to produce more food on fewer acres, increasing food production and profits. 2) The high productivity and nutritional benefits of GM crops are especially important in developing countries, where their use may prevent famine and ease human suffering. 3) Because they increase production and eliminate the need for chemical pesticides, GM crops can be beneficial to the environment. |
| Bt corn | Corn that contained Bt-toxin, a natural insecticide that protects corn plants from a major insect pest. |
| Three disadvantages of GM foods | 1) GM corn contains a protein that could cause allergic reactions in people. 2) GM plants that produced insecticides can kill beneficial insects as well as pests. 3) Pollen from GM plants might transfer genes to wild plants, resulting in "super weeds" that are impossible to control with weed killers. The spread of natural pesticide genes into wild plants might harm beneficial insects, such as bees and butterflies. |
| Two reasons why DNA is not private property | 1) DNA sequences are no more private and personal than fingerprints or photographs, which are taken by private and government agencies all the time. |
| Two reasons why DNA is private property | 1) There have been more than 200 cases of genes individuals carries or were suspected of carrying. 2) Employers with DNA information might use it to discriminate again workers who carry genes they suspect might cause medical or behavioral problems. |
| Sticky ends | Overlapping bases |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace