Biotechnology and Genetics: Essential Terminology

Core Concepts in Biotechnology and Genetics

Genetic Code

The genetic code is the set of rules by which information encoded in messenger RNA (mRNA) sequences is translated into amino acid sequences during protein synthesis. It dictates which amino acids correspond to each codon, allowing them to join together in the correct position to form a protein.

Biotechnology

Biotechnology involves the use of living organisms, or parts of organisms, or modified products derived from them, to improve plants or animals, or to develop microorganisms for specific objectives.

Plasmids

Plasmids are circular DNA molecules, independent of the chromosomal DNA, that often carry genetic information useful to the host organism, typically found in bacteria and yeasts.

Bacteriophage Gene Insertion

Bacteriophage-mediated gene insertion involves inserting a specific gene into the DNA of a bacteriophage virus. When this modified virus infects a bacterium, its DNA, containing the inserted gene, enters the bacterial cell and can be incorporated into the bacterium's genome. The bacterium then reads this new genetic information and synthesizes the corresponding protein.

Gene Therapy

Gene therapy is a therapeutic technique that involves inserting a functional gene into the cells of a human patient to correct a genetic defect or to give the cells a new function. This therapy aims at the *cure* of a disease rather than just its diagnosis or symptom management.

DNA Cloning

DNA cloning is the process of isolating a specific DNA sequence from an organism and making multiple copies of it, typically in a test tube or host cell.

Organismal Cloning

Cloning is a technique by which one or more new individuals, genetically identical or almost identical to the original, are produced from a somatic cell or the nucleus of a cell from an existing individual.

Stem Cell

A stem cell is a cell with the capacity for self-renewal and the ability to differentiate into various specialized cell types. Depending on its multipotency, it can produce one or more types of mature, fully functional differentiated tissue cells.

Messenger RNA (mRNA)

Messenger RNA (mRNA) determines the sequence in which amino acids are joined together to form a protein.

Transfer RNA (tRNA)

Transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules transport specific amino acids to the messenger RNA (mRNA) during protein synthesis. There is at least one specific tRNA for each amino acid.

Transcription

Transcription is the process by which genetic information from DNA is copied into RNA.

Translation

Translation is the process of synthesizing a protein based on the genetic instructions provided by the base sequence of messenger RNA (mRNA). This process involves transfer RNA (tRNA) and ribosomes in the cytoplasm.

Bioethics

Bioethics is a field of study that examines the ethical implications of biological and medical advances, providing a set of principles to responsibly address issues arising from technological development in a world facing a crisis of values.

Artificial Reproduction

Artificial reproduction refers to a set of techniques designed for the artificial reproduction of living beings, typically through the manipulation of gametes or embryos.