Lecture 9 - Recombinant DNA And Molecular Cloning 1 Flashcards
What does recombinant DNA engineering provide the means to?
Assemble genetic information in new combinations in a directed way
What is a key recombinant DNA technique?
Gene cloning
How does gene cloning work?
Gene of interest linked to a plasmid vector which enables a,privation and propagation as a pure population of molecules in a cell
Why is molecular cloning of DNA important? 6 reasons
It purifies and amplifies individual fragments of DNA of genes of interest
Helps obtain their DNA sequences
Determine the gene structure and regulation
Perform site directed mutagenesis to investigate function
Express and purify protein for biochemical/structural analysis
Enable genome analysis by creating overlapping clones of genomic DNA
Enzymes for recombinant DNA engineering - why is type II restriction endonucleases used for?
Cleave DNAs at specific sequences
Enzymes for recombinant DNA engineering - why is type II methylate used for?
Methylates dnas at specific bases
Enzymes for recombinant DNA engineering - why is dna polymerase used for?
Copy dna form a primer at 3’ end
Enzymes for recombinant DNA engineering - what is rna polymerase used for?
Makes as rna copy of dna from a promoter
Enzymes for recombinant DNA engineering - what is reverse transcriptase used for?
Makes a dna copy of rna from a primer at the 3’ end
Enzymes for recombinant DNA engineering - what is DNA ligand used for?
Covalent lay joins two dna molecules or fragments
Enzymes for recombinant DNA engineering - what is exonucleases used for?
Remove nucleotide residues from the end of dna
Enzymes for recombinant DNA engineering - what is terminal transferase used for?
Adds a homoplmer tail to the end of dna
Enzymes for recombinant DNA engineering - what is polynucleotide kinase used for?
Add a phosphate to the 3’ end of dna
How can strains of bacteria become resistant to bacteriophage infection?
The appropriate endonucleases within the bacteria recognises specific sites in infecting dna and destroys it,
How can strains of bacteria that are resistant to bacteriophage infection protect their own dna from being cut if it is in the same sequence as infecting bacteria?
Expresses cognate methylates that modify dna at corresponding sequence specific sites in dna
What is the requirements for type II restriction endonucleases?
Magnesium and not ATP
restriction enzymes commonly recognises what type of sequences and example?
Symmetric palindromic. For example BamHI recognises G cut GATCC and binds to a homodimer forming a 2-fold symmetric enzyme-DNA complex
Do type II restriction endonucleases cut outside their recognition sequence to one side?
Yes
How many types of termini are produced by type 2 restriction enzymes?
3 - 3’ recessed ends, blunt ends and 5’ recessed ends
What does the 5’termini of each strand retain?
Phosphoryl group
What does the 3’ termini of each product retain?
Hydroxylated
What does EcoRI produce in terms of ends?
Staggered end
What type of end does EcoRV form?
Blunt
What can block restriction enzyme cleavage of DNA?
Methylation added by cognate methylates
What does dna ligase catalyse?
Formation of 5 - 3 prime phosphodiester binds in ds dna or to repair strand nicks and join adjacent Okazaki fragments
What is the ligase cofactor?
RATP for t4 DNA ligase
In what case can DNA ligase join two fragments together?

Ones with comparable sticky ends with a hydroxyl group at the free 3’ end and the phosphate group at the free 5’ end
Can DNA ligase also join restriction fragments with blunt ends?
Yes
What do high concentrations of DNA in lifetime lead to?
Inter-molecular ligation producing linear DNA
What do low concentrations of DNA in ligase lead to?
Infra-molecular ligation producing circular dna
What can ligase do to two restriction fragments with comparable ends?
Link them to give a covalently closed circular product at low concentration
What way does DNA polymerase synthesis DNA and uses what substrate?
5’ to 3’ using deoxyribonuclotide triphosohate as a substrate
Are DNA polymerase processive?
Yes
Many DNA polymerase have a 3’ to 5’ exonuclease activity what is this and what does it do?
Proof reading to eliminate errors in dna synthesis
What do some DNA polymerase have which removes DNA ahead of them?
5’ to 3’ exonuclease activity