Life on Earth
Chapter 14
Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
Self-Quiz
During recombinant DNA techniques, how are the bacterial cells that take up the plasmids isolated from those that do not?
screening for restriction fragment length polymorphisms
using antibiotic resistance plasmid genes and antibiotic-containing media
sequencing each of the plasmids
by use of the polymerase chain reaction
using mRNA or information on the protein sequence
How do you help ensure that each bacterium in a library contains only one gene-containing plasmid?
Genes with more than one plasmid do not survive the antibiotic.
You need to screen using a radioactive RNA probe.
It is a matter of numbers and probability-far more bacteria than plasmids are mixed together.
Only a small amount of calcium salt is used to facilitate the incorporation of the plasmid into the bacterial cell.
This is why it is so important to spread the bacteria sparsely onto the culture dish.
Knowing the DNA coding sequence of a gene would give you [A]; knowing the amino acid sequence of the coded protein would give you [B].
[A] approximate information about the amino acid sequence; [B] approximate information about the DNA sequence
[A] approximate information about the amino acid sequence; [B] precise information about the DNA sequence
[A] precise information about the amino acid sequence; [B] approximate information about the DNA sequence
[A] precise information about the amino acid sequence; [B] precise information about the DNA sequence
none of the above
Why is
Thermus aquaticus
so useful?
It is necessary for the mass production of bacteria containing a plasmid with an inserted gene.
It is used in automated DNA sequencing.
It is used in RFLP mapping.
It facilitates the polymerase chain reaction.
It is used to create recombinant plasmids.
How are RFLPs detected?
by looking at the chromosome in the microscope
by doing a standard Mendelian cross
by observing DNA of different lengths on a gel
by seeing with which plasmids they will combine
by amplifying the DNA using PCR
How would you identify the bacterium in a library if you knew the sequence of the protein it coded for?
You would put radioactive protein on the petri dish.
You would put a synthetic radioactive nucleotide probe, designed from the protein sequence and the genetic code, onto the petri dish.
Because of the antibiotic, only the one of interest would survive.
You would check to see whether a protein of the desired sequence is being synthesized by each bacterium.
You would use DNA polymerase.
All of the following are goals of biotechnology, except:
generating economic benefits
efficiently producing biologically important molecules
improving agriculturally important food plants
more effectively treating disease
creating humans with higher intelligence levels
Naturally occurring methods of recombining DNA within a species include
mitosis
drossing over during meiosis I only
sexual reproduction only
in-vitro fertilization
crossing over and sexual reproduction
Plasmids are defined as
non-circular DNA segments in bacteria
small, self-replicating DNA molecules in bacteria
made of RNA
found only in single copies within bacteria
necessary for bacteria to reproduce
In recombinant DNA research, the enzymes used to cut the genes are called
DNA polymerases
RNA polymerases
spliceosomes
replicases
restriction enzymes
Which of the following describes the fragments of DNA produced by restriction enzymes?
They are circular in shape.
They have fused ends.
They have single-stranded "sticky ends."
They are all the same length.
They are useful genes needed for protein synthesis.
An easily accessible and duplicated grouping of all the DNA of a particular organism is
found in a chromosome
called a "gene pool"
possible only using bacterial DNA
called a "polymerase chain reaction" assemblage
called a "DNA library"
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is useful for
analyzing a person's fingerprints
cutting DNA into many small pieces
allowing restriction enzymes to cut DNA at palindromes
creating recombinant plasmids
making many copies of a small amount of DNA
One advantage of making vaccines against viral disease using recombinant DNA technology is:
The viral parts produced would be grossly defective.
The viral parts produced would be perfectly formed.
Only one or a few viral parts would be produced.
All the viral parts would be produced.
No bacteria would be involved.
Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) techniques are useful in
isolating a gene whose location and function are already known
prenatal diagnosis of certain genetic defects if the nucleotide sequence of the gene is known
"DNA fingerprinting" in forensic medicine
providing DNA for PCR analysis
Both choices b and c are correct.
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