Midterm 2 Flashcards
In the steps of cloning, what is Isolation done through?
PCR
True or False: Commomonas testosterone is viral
False
How large is the Genome of commonas?
5MB
Why is purification done after PCR?
to remove salt, enzyme (DNA polymerase), primers, dye, and dNTPS.
How do you measure the concentration of DNA?
OD
What concludes the Isolation step of gene cloning?
Purification and OD of PCR
How should a vector molecule be cut? Why not more than that?
Precisely at one position so new DNA can be inserted. A vector cut more than once will be broken into two or separate fragments and will be no use as a cloning vector.
Why does restriction work in preventing viral infections in bacteria?
Restriction occurs because the bacterium produces an enzyme that degrading DNA before it has time to replicate
What do Type 2 restriction endonucleases cut?
DNA at specific nucleotide sequences.
How do type II restriction endonucleases work?
each enzyme has a specific recognition sequence at which it cuts a DNA molecule.
What type of ends do restriction enzymes cut?
Sticky ends
What happens if sticky ends cut by restriction enzymes are complementary?
They can bind to one another
How do you calculate the number of recognition sequences for a particular restriction endonuclease?
4^(number of nucleotides it cuts at)
What is the pH most restriction endonucleases function at?
pH 7.4
What can happen to the restriction enzyme if the incorrect NaCl concentrations or Mg2 concentrations occur?
decrease the activity of the restriction endonuclease, they might also cause changes in the specificity of the enzyme
What is the conventional speed of a restriction enzyme?
1 unit of enzyme is defined as the quantity needed to cut 1 ng of DNA in 1 hour.
True or false: Temperature is important in consideration of restriction endonucleases.
True
How do you kill/inactivate a restriction enzyme?
a short incubation at 70°C OR addition of ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA), which binds Mg2+ ions preventing restriction endonuclease action
Define electrophoresis
a technique that uses differences in electrical charge to separate the molecules in a mixture.
Why does electrophoresis work?
DNA molecules have negative charges, and so when placed in an electric field they migrate toward the positive pole .
What does the rate of migration of DNA in gel electrophoresis depend on?
shape
charge-to-mass ratio
Size
What size molecules of DNA travel the fastest?
smallest molecules
What are used as size markers in a gel electorphoresis? Is it precise
A DNA ladder; No, error of 5%
Is the size of fragment and rate of migration of a fragment to a gel proportional?
No it is logarithmic
What is the maximum length of fragment that can be used in gel electrophoresis?
30kb
What type of gel is used for small fragments? What type of gel is used for large fragments?
Polyacrylamide gel; Agarose gel
What is agarose and why is it used in gel electrophoresis?
Agarose is a complex polysaccharide extracted from algae. When solidified it creates a sieving matrix with pores the fragments can migrate to.
What is the relationship between concentration of agarose and size of pores?
Higher concentration smaller pores.
What is placed in the DNA sample prior to placing it in wells for gel electrophoresis?
bromophenol blue, and glycerol to increase density of solution so it stays in the wells.
What are the three conformations of plasmid DNA? Which one migrates the fastest?
Supercoiled, linear, and circular; Supercoiled
What type of electrophoresis is used for larger molecules? Name and explain it.
Pulsed field gel electrophoresis where the electrical field is repeatedly switched can be used for longer fragments of DNA. It may prevent trapping of DNA molecules.
What comes after purification and concentration of DNA in gene cloning?
construction of the recombinant DNA molecule.
How is a recombinant DNA molecule produced?
The vector and DNA to be cloned, are cut then joined together in a controlled manner.
What enzyme is used for cutting? For joining?
restriction endonucleases (for cutting) and ligases (for joining).
Name and define the four classes of DNA manipulative enzymes.
Nucleases: enzymes that cut, shorten, or degrade nucleic acid molecules.
Ligases: join nucleic acid molecules together.
Polymerases: make copies of molecules.
Modifying enzymes: remove or add chemical groups.
Name and define exonucleases and endonucleases
Exonucleases remove nucleotides one at a time from the end of a DNA molecule.
Endonucleases are able to break internal phosphodiester bonds within a DNA molecule.
What in the function of DNA ligase in a cell?
to join together fragments of DNA arising from breaks in the cell such as okazaki fragments in DNA replication.