Nucleic Acids and Proteins
This nucleic acid is double-stranded, contains thymine, and stays in the nucleus.
What is DNA?
The site where RNA polymerase binds to initiate transcription.
What is the promoter?
This enzyme synthesises new DNA strands in PCR.
What is Taq polymerase?
Plasmids are commonly used as these to transfer genes into bacteria.
What are vectors?
DNA profiling is commonly used in criminal investigations and in these family disputes.
What are paternity tests?
These three types of RNA are required for protein synthesis.
What are mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA?
These non-coding sequences are removed from pre-mRNA in eukaryotes.
What are introns?
DNA fragments cut with restriction enzymes can have either blunt ends or these.
What are sticky ends?
The universal nature of the genetic code allows bacteria to produce this human protein for diabetes treatment.
What is insulin?
Bt corn has been modified to produce this natural pesticide.
What is Bt toxin (an insecticide)?
The folding of a polypeptide into α-helices and β-sheets represents this level of protein structure.
What is secondary structure?
The process where introns are removed and exons are joined together.
What is splicing?
In gel electrophoresis, smaller DNA fragments travel in this direction compared to larger ones.
What is further and faster (towards the positive electrode)?
This bacterial system, adapted for gene editing, uses guide RNA and the Cas9 nuclease.
What is CRISPR-Cas9?
A biological issue with GM foods is that inserted genes may cause unexpected reactions such as these.
What are allergies?
High heat or extreme pH can cause this permanent change to protein structure.
What is denaturation?
The cap and poly-A tail added to pre-mRNA serve this purpose.
What is to protect the RNA from degradation (and increase stability)?
Short tandem repeats (STRs) are used in this technique to compare DNA samples.
What is DNA profiling?
Crops that contain genes from another species are known as these.
What are transgenic organisms?
A social concern with GM crops is that seed patents may limit farmers’ access, raising this fairness issue.
What is equity of access?
The complete set of proteins expressed by a cell or organism at a given time is called this.
What is the proteome?
In the trp operon, this molecule acts as a corepressor to switch the operon “off.”
What is tryptophan?
This enzyme is used to generate complementary DNA (cDNA) from an mRNA template.
What is reverse transcriptase?
Golden rice was genetically modified to produce higher levels of this vitamin.
What is Vitamin A?
One environmental risk of GM crops is cross-pollination with wild plants, which can reduce this.
What is biodiversity?