Q3 Activity Sheet #2 (Manipulation of Genetic Materials)

MARIKINA SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL
MAYOR JUAN CHANYUNGCO ST., STA. ELENA, MARIKINA CITY
Biotechnology 8
Third Quarter
Activity Sheet #2
(Manipulation of Genetic Materials)
MELCS:
 Discuss how genetic materials are being manipulated.
UNPACKED OBJECTIVES:
 Define genetic manipulation

 Identify the genetic materials that are used in genetic manipulation.
 Discuss how genetic manipulation is being performed.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE LESSON:
Biotechnology is the use of artificial methods to modify the genetic material of living organisms or cells to produce
novel compounds or to perform new functions. Biotechnology has been used for improving livestock and crops since
the beginning of agriculture through selective breeding. Since the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953, and
particularly since the development of tools and methods to manipulate DNA in the 1970s, biotechnology has become
synonymous with the manipulation of organisms’ DNA at the molecular level. The primary applications of this
technology are in medicine (for the production of vaccines and antibiotics) and in agriculture (for the genetic
modification of crops). Biotechnology also has many industrial applications, such as fermentation, the treatment of oil
spills, and the production of biofuels, as well as many household applications such as the use of enzymes in laundry
detergent.
REVIEW OF NUCLEIC ACID STRUCTURE
To understand the basic techniques used to work with nucleic acids, remember that nucleic acids are
macromolecules made of nucleotides (a sugar, a phosphate, and a nitrogenous base). The phosphate groups on
these molecules each have a net negative charge. An entire set of DNA molecules in the nucleus of eukaryotic
organisms is called the genome. DNA has two complementary strands linked by hydrogen bonds between the paired
bases.Unlike DNA in eukaryotic cells, RNA molecules leave the nucleus. Messenger RNA (mRNA) is analyzed most
frequently because it represents the protein-coding genes that are being expressed in the cell.
ISOLATION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS
To study or manipulate nucleic acids, the DNA must first be extracted from cells. Various techniques are used to
extract different types of DNA (Figure 10.2). Most nucleic acid extraction techniques involve steps to break open the
cell, and then the use of enzymatic reactions to destroy all undesired macromolecules. Cells are broken open using a
detergent solution containing buffering compounds. To prevent degradation and contamination, macromolecules
such as proteins and RNA are inactivated using enzymes. The DNA is then brought out of solution using alcohol. The
resulting DNA, because it is made up of long polymers, forms a gelatinous mass.
Figure 2: This diagram shows the basic method used for the extraction of DNA.
RNA is studied to understand gene expression patterns in cells. RNA is naturally very unstable because enzymes
that break down RNA are commonly present in nature. Some are even secreted by our own skin and are very difficult
to inactivate. Similar to DNA extraction, RNA extraction involves the use of various buffers and enzymes to inactivate
other macromolecules and preserve only the RNA.
GEL ELECTROPHORESIS
Because nucleic acids are negatively charged ions at neutral or alkaline pH in an aqueous environment, they can be
moved by an electric field. Gel electrophoresis is a technique used to separate charged molecules on the basis of
size and charge. The nucleic acids can be separated as whole chromosomes or as fragments. The nucleic acids are
loaded into a slot at one end of a gel matrix, an electric current is applied, and negatively charged molecules are
pulled toward the opposite end of the gel (the end with the positive electrode). Smaller molecules move through the
pores in the gel faster than larger molecules; this difference in the rate of migration separates the fragments on the
basis of size. The nucleic acids in a gel matrix are invisible until they are stained with a compound that allows them to
be seen, such as a dye. Distinct fragments of nucleic acids appear as bands at specific distances from the top of the
gel (the negative electrode end) that are based on their size (Figure 10.3). A mixture of many fragments of varying
sizes appear as a long smear, whereas uncut genomic DNA is usually too large to run through the gel and forms a
single large band at the top of the gel.
Figure 3: Shown are DNA fragments from six samples run on a gel, stained with a fluorescent dye and viewed under
UV light. (credit: modification of work by James Jacob, Tompkins Cortland Community College)
POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION
DNA analysis often requires focusing on one or more specific regions of the genome. It also frequently involves
situations in which only one or a few copies of a DNA molecule are available for further analysis. These amounts are
insufficient for most procedures, such as gel electrophoresis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique used
to rapidly increase the number of copies of specific regions of DNA for further analyses (Figure 10.4). PCR uses a
special form of DNA polymerase, the enzyme that replicates DNA, and other short nucleotide sequences called
primers that base pair to a specific portion of the DNA being replicated. PCR is used for many purposes in
laboratories. These include: 1) the identification of the owner of a DNA sample left at a crime scene; 2) paternity
analysis; 3) the comparison of small amounts of ancient DNA with modern organisms; and 4) determining the
sequence of nucleotides in a specific region.
Figure 4: Polymerase chain

reaction, or PCR, is used to produce many copies of a specific sequence of DNA using a special form of DNA
polymerase.
Resources: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/mhccbiology102/chapter/manipulating-genetic-material/
Prepared By:
JAN MARI S. BUENAFLOR

Biotechnology Teacher

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MARIKINA SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL

MAYOR JUAN CHANYUNGCO ST., STA. ELENA, MARIKINA CITY

 Discuss how genetic materials are being manipulated.

 Define genetic manipulation

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE LESSON:

REVIEW OF NUCLEIC ACID STRUCTURE

ISOLATION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS

POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION

Figure 4: Polymerase chain

JAN MARI S. BUENAFLOR

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