Biotechnology Vocabulary Terms
● Gene c Modifica on - Use of modern biotechnology techniques to change the
genes / DNA of an organism.
● Stem Cell - The common, self-regenera ng cells in the marrow of long bones that
give rise, by differentiation and division, to red blood cells and all of the different
types of white blood cells.
● Cloning - Making an exact gene c replica of a cell or an organism.
● Restric on enzyme - Enzymes that cut DNA molecules at specific places in the
● DNA sequence - A small sequence of DNA.
● Gel Electrophoresis - A process where an electrical current is used to separate a
mixture of DNA fragments moving them through an agarose gel. Separation is
based on size (# of base pairs) of DNA fragments.
● Gene c Engineering - Process of manipula ng DNA of an organism.
● Recombinant DNA (rDNA) - DNA that has been formed ar ficially by combining
fragments of DNA from different organisms.
● Plasmid - A small circular DNA strand in the cytoplasm of a bacterium that can
replicate independently of the chromosomes. Plasmids are typically used as
vectors in the production of recombinant DNA.
● Gene Therapy - Gene therapy is a treatment that involves replacing defective genes
● Gene cally Modified Organisms- An organism whose DNA has been altered to
include gene(s) from another organism.
● Cell Differen a on - The process by which a cell becomes specialized in order to
perform a specific function, as in the case of a liver cell, a blood cell, or a neuron. ● Transgenic
Organism - An organism that contains genetic material from another
● Genomics - A discipline in gene cs that analyzes the func on and structure of
genes that make up a particular organism.
● Restric on Enzymes - Enzymes that cut DNA in a specific place (restric on site) in
the sequence. ● DNA Fingerprin ng - A biometric iden fica on obtained by examining a person's
unique sequence of DNA base pairs; produced by the process of gel
● Human Genome Project - A project conducted to iden fy and map all of the genes,
and interaction of those genes that make up a human being.
● Gene Therapy - The transplanta on of normal genes into cells in place of missing or
defective ones in order to correct genetic disorders
● Biotechnology - The use of organisms to develop or make useful products; can
involve manipulation of genes, or using organisms to enhance a process.
● Bacterial Transforma on - Process by which a bacterium will incorporate DNA from
a foreign plasmid into its genome and as a result will alter the function of the cell.
(may produce a different protein; this is an example of recombinant DNA.)