DNA Technology

1. Name two situations when DNA fingerprints are useful.

Forensic evidence and paternity case.
2. How does the DNA migrate from one end of the gel to the other?
A gel box is used to separate DNA in an agarose gel with an electrical charge. When the red and black
leads are plugged into a power supply the DNA migrates through the gel toward the positive charge due
to the net negative charge of the molecule.
3. What cuts up the DNA into tiny fragments?
Restriction endonucleases (RE)

Use the gels below to answer the following questions. Highlight the answer. felon S1 S2 S3
dad dad
baby mom
1 2
5. Lt. Russ is investigating a
murder scene. The felon was
scratched by his victim & some
of his skin cells were found
under the victim’s fingernails.
A DNA test was performed.
Which of the suspects is the
murderer?

felon S1 S2 S3

6. Suzy was assaulted in

4. Mrs. Smith has a baby
named Jessica. She
believes one of two men
can be the father of her
child. A paternity test is
done and the results are
shown above. Which of
the 2 men are baby
Jessica’s father?
child child child
dad mom 1 2
an alley. The police
collected a sample of
cells that was left at the
crime scene and now
have 3 suspects in
custody. Which of the
suspects assaulted Suzy?
child child child
3 4 5 6

7. Mr. & Mrs. Jones just gave birth to

fraternal twins- Bob and Jane. Unfortunately,
the nurse has confused the Jones twins with 4
other babies. The doctors took samples of
DNA from each of the babies and Mr. & Mrs.
Jones. Which of the 6 children are Mr. &
Mrs. Jones twins?
 mom daughter son 1 son 2

8. The millionaire, Mr. Big, has just died. He has left behind a wife, daughter and
a large inheritance. The news of his death has brought forth 2 men who claim to
be the long lost son of Mr. & Mrs. Big. Before Mr. & Mrs. Big were married they
had a child taken from them. They had tried to find him but had no luck in
locating him. A DNA sample was taken from Mrs. Big, the Big daughter and the
two men who claim to be the long lost son. Which, if any, of the men are telling
the truth?

Multiple Choice
____ 1. To produce genetically engineered bacteria that make a human protein, which of the
following steps does a scientist have to take first?
a. Insert the human gene for the protein into a plasmid.
b. Extract the protein from the bacterial culture.
c. Use a restriction enzyme to cut out the gene from human DNA.
d. Transform bacteria with the recombinant plasmid.
____ 2. During genetic modification,
a. a prokaryote is changed into a eukaryote.
b. a cell takes in DNA from another source.
c. a cell’s own DNA is inserted into a plasmid.
d. a cell is mutated.
____ 3. Analyzing DNA by gel electrophoresis allows researchers to
a. compare DNA samples from different sources.
b. determine whether a particular allele of a gene is dominant or recessive.
c. compare the phenotypes of different organisms.
d. cut DNA with restriction enzymes.
____ 4. One function of gel electrophoresis is to
a. separate DNA fragments.
b. cut DNA.
c. recombine DNA.
d. extract DNA.
____ 5. Knowing the sequence of an organism’s DNA allows researchers to
a. reproduce the organism.
b. mutate the DNA.
c. study specific genes.
d. cut the DNA.
____ 6. Which of the following includes all the others?
a. Plasmid
b. genetically modified bacterium
c. foreign gene
d. recombinant DNA
____ 7. On an electrophoresis gel, band B is closer to the positive end of the gel than is band A.
Which of the following statements is true?
a. Band B is more negatively charged than band A.
b. Band B moved faster than band A.
c. Band A is smaller than band B.
 d. Band B consists of larger DNA fragments than does band A.
____ 8. If two DNA samples showed an identical pattern and thickness of bands produced by
gel electrophoresis, the samples contained
a. the same amount of DNA.
b. fragments of the same size.
c. the same DNA molecules.
d. all of the above
____ 9. What is an advantage of using genetically engineered bacteria to produce human
proteins?
a. The human proteins produced by genetically engineered bacteria work better than those
produced by humans.
b. Genetically engineered bacteria can mass-produce pure human proteins.
c. The human proteins produced by genetically engineered bacteria last longer than those
produced by humans.
d. Genetically engineered bacteria can produce human proteins used to make plastics.