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17.1: Key Terms

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    115108
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    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

    17.1: Key Terms is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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