QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
COMPLETE STUDY GUIDE FULL SOLUTION
●● Biotechnology
Answer: The use of organisms (microbes, plants, animals) or their
products in the commercial or industrial realm.
●● What is one of the main goals of genetic engineering?
Answer: isolate, identify, and manipulate DNA
●● What is one of the main goals of biotechnology?
Answer: The design of biological systems that can synthesize new forms
of molecules, cells, organs, and organisms
●● Genetic engineering is part of
Answer: biotechnology
●● How can you separate two strands of DNA in the lab?
Answer: Heat DNA to 90 - 95 C to allow for denaturing (breaking H
bonds). Cooling allows the DNA to reanneal (H bonds reform). Helicase
not needed.
,●● Restriction endonucleases/enzymes
Answer: An enzyme present naturally in bacteria that cleaves specific
locations (palindromes) on DNA. It is an important means of
inactivating viral genomes, and it is also used in genetic engineering to
splice genes.
●● How do restriction enzymes work?
Answer: They cut the phosphodiester bond between nucleotides.
●● What is the purpose of restriction enzymes in bacteria? In the lab?
Answer: In bacteria: protect against incompatabile DNA from
bacteriophages
In the lab: enzymes allow DNA to be cut at different locations
●● Recognition site/sequence
Answer: Sequence of 4-10 nucleotides that is recognized by a restriction
enzyme. When the enzyme encounters this site it will cut both strands of
DNA.
●● Palindromic sequence
Answer: Nucleic acid sequence: read the same 5'-3' as complementary
5'-3'. Most recognition sequences are palindromic.
●● How are endonucleases named?
, Answer: by combining the first letter of the bacterial genus, the first two
letters of the species and the endonuclease number (showing method of
cleavage)
●● sticky ends
Answer: The uneven ends of a double-stranded DNA molecule that has
been cut with a restriction enzyme. There is overhang when the DNA is
cut, allowing the two DNA fragments to base pair with complementary
fragments.
●● Restriction fragment length polymorphisms
Answer: "RFLP" for short, restriction fragments of differing lengths due
to differences in the genetic code for the same gene between two
individuals. Allows genes from different organisms to be spliced
together.
●● Which enzyme attaches sticky ends together?
Answer: ligase (allows for final splicing of genes into plasmids and
chromosomes)
●● cDNA (complementary DNA)
Answer: DNA created by using reverse transcriptase to synthesize DNA
from RNA templates.
●● reverse transcriptase