Applications of polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis
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Question
What is the genome?
Answer
The **whole of an organism's genetic information** — **all** of its DNA, every gene and every base.
Question
Put these in order, smallest to largest: gene, base, genome, chromosome.
Answer
**base ⊂ gene ⊂ chromosome ⊂ genome** — a base in a gene, a gene in a chromosome, all chromosomes make the genome.
Question
Is the genome one gene or all of the DNA?
Answer
**All** of the DNA — the genome is the complete set, not a single gene or chromosome.
Question
Which cells contain a complete copy of the genome?
Answer
**Every nucleated body cell** carries a complete copy of the whole genome.
Question
Why can't a mature red blood cell supply the genome?
Answer
It has **no nucleus**, so it carries no DNA to copy.
Question
What is DNA profiling?
Answer
A technique that reads the **variable repeated regions** of the genome to **identify an individual** or test how closely two people are **related**.
Question
Why does DNA profiling avoid the coding genes?
Answer
The genes are almost **identical** between people, so they cannot tell individuals apart — the **variable repeats** can.
Question
What part of the genome does a DNA profile compare?
Answer
The **number of short tandem repeats** (variable, non-coding regions) at several places in the genome.
Question
Two DNA profiles share many repeat patterns. What does that suggest?
Answer
The two individuals are **closely related** — more shared patterns means a closer relationship.
Question
Does a larger genome mean a more complex organism?
Answer
**No** — genome size does **not** correlate with complexity; some simpler organisms have larger genomes than humans.
Question
Define a gene (versus the genome).
Answer
A **gene** is one length of DNA coding for a product; the **genome** is **all** of the DNA, containing thousands of genes.
Question
Why is a small sample enough for DNA profiling?
Answer
Because **every nucleated cell** holds the whole genome, so even a single cell carries all of a person's DNA.
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Topic 4.1 hub
DNA replication
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