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AP Bio LAP 11

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139100543Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC)An artificial version of a bacterial chromosome that can carry inserts of 100, 000 to 500, 000 base pairs.
139100544BiotechnologyThe manipulation of living organisms or their components to produce useful products.
139100545Chromosome walkingA technique for cloning everything in the genome around a known piece of DNA (the starting probe).
139100546cloning vectorAn 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.
139100547complementary DNAA 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.
139100548denaturationIn proteins, a process in which a protein unravels and loses its native conformation, thereby becoming biologically inactive. In DNA, the separation of the two strands of the double helix. Denaturation occurs under extreme conditions of pH, salt concentration, and temperature.
139100549DNA FingerprintingDetermining an individual's unique collection of DNA restriction fragments, detected by electrophoresis and nucleic acid probes.
139100550DNA ligaseA linking enzyme essential for DNA replication; catalyzes the covalent bonding of the 3' end of a new DNA fragment to the 5' end of a growing chain.
139100551DNA microarray assaysA 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.
139100552electroporationA 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.
139100553gel electrophoresisThe 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.
139100554gene cloningThe production of multiple copies of a gene.
139100555gene therapyThe alteration of the genes of a person afflicted with a genetic disease.
139100556genetic engineeringThe direct manipulation of genes for practical purposes.
139100557genetically modified (GM) organismsAn organism that has acquired one or more genes by artificial means; also known as a transgenic organism.
139100558genomic libraryA set of thousands of DNA segments from a genome, each carried by a plasmid, phage, or other cloning vector.
139100559genomicsThe study of whole sets of genes and their interactions.
139100560Human Genome ProjectAn international collaborative effort to map and sequence the DNA of the entire human genome.
139100561nucleic acid hybridizationBase pairing between a gene and a complementary sequence on another nucleic acid molecule.
139100562polymerase chain reaction (PCR)A technique for amplifying DNA in vitro by incubating with special primers, DNA polymerase molecules, and nucleotides.
139100563recombinant DNAA DNA molecule made in vitro with segments from different sources.
139100564restriction enzymeA degradative enzyme that recognizes and cuts up DNA (including that of certain phages) that is foreign to a bacterium.
139100565restriction 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.
139100566restriction siteA specific sequence on a DNA strand that is recognized as a cut siteby a restriction enzyme.
139100567RNA 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.
139100568single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)One base-pair variation in the genome sequence.
139100569southern blottingA hybridization technique that enables researchers to determine the presence of certain nucleotide sequences in a sample of DNA.
139100570sticky endA single-stranded end of a double-stranded DNA restriction fragment.
139100571Ti PlasmidA 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.
139100572yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs)A vector that combines the essentials of a eukaryotic chromosome--an origin for DNA replication, a centromere, and two telomeres--with foreign DNA.
139100573BioinformaticsThe application of statistics and computer science to the field of molecular biology.
139100574proteomicsThe large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions.
139100575agaroseA linear polymer that makes up the agar gel in gel electrophoresis.
139100576transformation(1) The conversion of a normal animal cell to a cancerous cell. (2) A change in genotype and phenotype due to the assimilation of external DNA by a cell.
139100577fishing for DNAExtracting DNA or RNA by magnetic fishing for nucleotide extraction procedures.
139100578probeAn agent that binds directly to a predefined sequence of nucleic acids.
139100579northern blottingA technique used in molecular biology research to study gene expression by detection of RNA (or isolated mRNA) in a sample. With this technique, it is possible to observe cellular control over structure and function by determining the particular gene expression levels during differentiation, morphogenesis, as well as abnormal or diseased conditions.
139100580western blottingA widely used analytical technique used to detect specific proteins in the given sample of tissue homogenate or extract.
139100581eastern blottingA biochemical technique used to analyze protein post translational modifications (PTM) such as lipids and glycoconjugates. It is most often used to detect carbohydrate epitopes.

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