Key Terms

antibiotic resistance

ability of an organism to be unaffected by an antibiotic's actions

biomarker

individual protein that is uniquely produced in a diseased state

biotechnology

use of biological agents for technological advancement

cDNA library

collection of cloned cDNA sequences

cellular cloning

production of identical cell populations by binary fission

chain termination method

method of DNA sequencing using labeled dideoxynucleotides to terminate DNA replication; it is also called the dideoxy method or the Sanger method

clone

exact replica

contig

larger sequence of DNA assembled from overlapping shorter sequences

cytogenetic mapping

technique that uses a microscope to create a map from stained chromosomes

deoxynucleotide

individual DNA monomer (single unit)

dideoxynucleotide

individual DNA monomer that is missing a hydroxyl group (–OH)

DNA microarray

method to detect gene expression by analyzing many DNA fragments that are fixed to a glass slide or a silicon chip to identify active genes and identify sequences

expressed sequence tag (EST)

short STS that is identified with cDNA

false negative

incorrect test result that should have been positive

foreign DNA

DNA that belongs to a different species or DNA that is artificially synthesized

gel electrophoresis

technique used to separate molecules on the basis of size using electric charge

gene targeting

method for altering the sequence of a specific gene by introducing the modified version on a vector

gene therapy

technique used to cure inheritable diseases by replacing mutant genes with good genes

genetic diagnosis

diagnosis of the potential for disease development by analyzing disease-causing genes

genetic engineering

alteration of the genetic makeup of an organism

genetic map

outline of genes and their location on a chromosome

genetic marker

gene or sequence on a chromosome with a known location that is associated with a specific trait

genetic recombination

DNA exchange between homologous chromosome pairs

genetic testing

process of testing for the presence of disease-causing genes

genetically modified organism (GMO)

organism whose genome has been artificially changed

genome annotation

process of attaching biological information to gene sequences

genome mapping

process of finding the location of genes on each chromosome

genomic library

collection of cloned DNA which represents all of the sequences and fragments from a genome

genomics

study of entire genomes including the complete set of genes, their nucleotide sequence and organization, and their interactions within a species and with other species

host DNA

DNA that is present in the genome of the organism of interest

linkage analysis

procedure that analyzes recombining genes to determine if they are linked

lysis buffer

solution to break the cell membrane and release cell contents

metabolome

complete set of metabolites which are related to an organism's genetic makeup

metabolomics

study of small molecule metabolites in an organism

metagenomics

study of multiple species' collective genomes that grow and interact in an environmental niche

microsatellite polymorphism

variation between individuals in the sequence and number of microsatellite DNA repeats

model organism

species that researchers study and use as a model to understand the biological processes in other species represented by the model organism

molecular cloning

cloning of DNA fragments

multiple cloning site (MCS)

site that multiple restriction endonucleases can recognize

next-generation sequencing

group of automated techniques for rapid DNA sequencing

Northern blotting

transfer of RNA from a gel to a nylon membrane

pharmacogenomics

study of drug interactions with the genome or proteome; also called toxicogenomics

physical map

representation of the physical distance between genes or genetic markers

polygenic

phenotypic characteristic caused by two or more genes

polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

technique to amplify DNA

probe

small DNA fragment to determine if the complementary sequence is present in a DNA sample

protease

enzyme that breaks down proteins

protein signature

set of uniquely expressed proteins in the diseased state

proteome

entire set of proteins that cell type produces

proteomics

study of proteomes' function

pure culture

growth of a single cell type in the laboratory

radiation hybrid mapping

information obtained by fragmenting the chromosome with x-rays

recombinant DNA

combining DNA fragments that molecular cloning generates that do not exist in nature; also a chimeric molecule

recombinant protein

a gene's protein product derived by molecular cloning

reproductive cloning

entire organism cloning

restriction endonuclease

enzyme that can recognize and cleave specific DNA sequences

restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)

variation between individuals in the length of DNA fragments, which restriction endonucleases generate

reverse genetics

method of determining the gene's function by starting with the gene itself instead of starting with the gene product

reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR)

PCR technique that involves converting RNA to DNA by reverse transcriptase

ribonuclease

enzyme that breaks down RNA

sequence mapping

mapping information obtained after DNA sequencing

shotgun sequencing

method used to sequence multiple DNA fragments to generate the sequence of a large piece of DNA

single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)

variation between individuals in a single nucleotide

Southern blotting

DNA transfer from a gel to a nylon membrane

systems biology

study of whole biological systems (genomes and proteomes) based on interactions within the system

Ti plasmid

plasmid system derived from Agrobacterium tumefaciens that scientists have used to introduce foreign DNA into plant cells

transgenic

organism that receives DNA from a different species

variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs)

variation in the number of tandem repeats between individuals in the population

whole-genome sequencing

process that determines an entire genome's DNA sequence