Molecular Techniques Flashcards
What do Southern and Northern Blot analysis of NA detect?
What do they BOTH START WITH?
Southern & Northern blot analysis of NA detects a MOLECULE
within a mixture
- starts with electrophoresis
Southern & Northern blot analysis Technique 10
- 32p-labeled size markers filled with RNA or DNA
- Electrophoresis
- migration from - to + - In Gel; with paper towels, salt solution, membrane, sponge
SOLUTION PASSES THROUGH GEL AND MEMBRANE TO PAPER TOWELS - Gel+Filter
- DNA transferred to MEMBRANE - Hybridise with unique nucleic acid probe
- Filter in “seal-a-meal” bag.
- Remove unbound probe
- Probe hybridised to complementary sequence
- Expose X-ray film to membrane.
- Autoradiogram
Northern vs Southern vs Western…
Procedure is TERMED SOUTHERN blotting when DNA is TRANSFERRED (named after EDWIN SOUTHERN)
-NA probe used
NORTHERN BLOTTING when RNA is TRANSFERRED
-NA probe
WESTERN blotting transfer of PROTEIN to a MEMBRANE, USE OF ANTIBODIES NOT A NA PROBE
What does DNA sequencing Determine?
Determines the sequence of bases in DNA
In mid 1970s, FREDERICK SANGER created the dideoxysequencing method…EXPLAIN IT 4
- Based on the elongation of DNA by DNA polymerase (REPLICATION)
- FRAGMENT to be SEQUENCED is USED as TEMPLATE
- REPLICATION is sometimes TERMINATED when a SPECIFIC BASE is ENCOUNTERED
- Dideoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (ddNTP) lacks a 3’-OH group, which terminates DNA synthesis.
Understanding ddNTPS…4
- ddNTPs are ALMOST identical to dNTPs but THEY LACK 3;-OH group.
- if a ddNTP is INCORPORATED into DNA strand, NO MORE NUCLEOTIDES can be ADDED.
- No free 3’-OH to form phosphodiester bond with incoming nucleotide.
- ddNTPs terminates synthesis.
Describe the STEPS (10)
Sanger DNA sequencing method….
a technique used to determine the sequence of nucleotides in a DNA molecule.
- Each of four reactions contains: single-stranded target DNA to be sequenced…
- …a PRIMER
- ..all 4 deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate, DNA polymerase…
- …and one type of dideoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (ddNTP).
- Nucleotides are added to the 3’ end of the primer, with the target DNA being used as a template.
- When a dideoxynucleotide is incorporates into growing chain, synthesis terminates because the dideoxynucleotide lacks a 3’ OH.
- Synthesis terminates at different positions on different strands, which generates a set of DNA fragments of various lengths, each ending in a dideoxynucleotide with the same Base.
- The fragments produced in each reaction are separated by gel electrophoresis.
- the sequence can be read directly from the bands that appear on the autoradiograph of the gel, starting from the bottom.
- The sequence obtained is the complement of the original template strand.
The steps (7) describe a variation of the Sanger DNA sequencing method, known as FLUORESCENT DYE TERMINATOR SEQUENCE.
- A single-stranded DNA fragment whose base sequence is to be determined (the template) is isolated.
- Each of the 4 ddNTPs is tagged with a different fluorescent dye, and the Sanger sequencing reaction is carried out.
- The fragments that end in the same base have the same coloured dye attached.
- The products are DENATURED, and the DNA fragments produced by the 4 reactions are mixed and loaded into a single well on an electrophoresis gel. The fragments migrate through the gel according to size…
5….and the fluorescent dye on the DNA is detected by a laser beam.
- each fragment appears as a peak on the computer print out, the colour of the peak indicates which base is present.
- the sequence information is read directly into the computer, which converts it into the complementary target sequence.
The meaning of the Genomic Sequence:
DRAW AND LABEL IT PG. 10.
- Regulatory proetin binds DNA.
- RNA polymerase binds DNA
- ribosome binds mRNA
- tRNAs bind each codon in mRNA.
- Spliceosome binds primary RNA transcript.
- Translation termination protein binds mRNA.
- Poly(A) polymerase binds primary RNA transcript.
- Transcription regulatory element
- Promoter
- 5’ UTR
- Translation initation site
- Codons
- Intron
- Codons
- Exon
- 3’ Splice site
- Codons
- Translation termination site
- 3’ UTR
- Polyadenylation site
How is information encoded into DNA? =4
- SUM OF ALL GENE PRODUCTS - PROTEINS AND RNAs.
- More complex than that - another view: GENOME encodes a SERIES of DOCKING sites FOR DIFFERENT PROTEINS AND RNAs.
- Complex set of networks determine WHERE, WHEN AT WHAT LEVEL GENE WILL BE EXPRESSED.
- Therefore, the information “ENCODED” in genome=
SUM OF ALL SEQUENCES THAT CODE PROTEIN and RNAs, plus the DOCKING SITES THAT PERMIT THEIR PROPER ACTION IN TIME AND TISSUE.
in addition to protein encoding sequences, GENOME CONTAINS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION and ITS NOT CLEAR WHAT ALL FO NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE MEANS
UNCERTAINTY DUE TO: 2
- Docking (TARGET) sequences of many DNA binding proteins are UNKOWN.
- ALTERNATIVE SPLICING COMPLICATES “ORF” finding some SEQUENCES have MULTIPLE USES.
Bioinformatics and functional genomics attempt to decipher genome.
Bioinformatics: What is it What does is Show and how? 4
- Uses available information (much of it available on the.
Web) to predict function of sequences - cDNA.evidence
- motifs, e.g..start codons, ORFs
- expressed sequence tags (ESTs), from reverse transcribed mRNA - mRNA & ORF structure
- gene &. intron finding programs
4.Polypeptide similarity
- at evidence at level of >35% sequence identity, polypeptides likely have common function
- often identified by BLASTp search Codon bias information
Identifying Genes from”Novel” Sequence
(predicting function from sequence) -OPEN READING FRAMES
WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS A CANDIDATE GENE?
- A stretch of nucleotides beginning with ATG
(initiation codon) & ending with an in frame stop
codon is called an open reading frame (ORF). - An ORF represents a CANDIDATE GENE that
encodes a protein.
Based on the genetic code,
one can determine the amino acid sequence of
the protein encoded by he ORF.
cDNA evidence - ESTs
- cDNA: extremely valuable in identifying exons (DNA copies of mRNA)
- Alignment with genomic sequence delineates exons
- in cDNA ORF continuous through to stop codon
- can assist in identifying correct reading frame. - ESTs: expressed sequences tags - in many genes only the 5’ or 3’ ends of the cDNA sequenced - can be aligned with genomic DNA, determine transcript ends.
Understanding Polypeptide similarity evidence:
Candidate ORFs can be given credibility by comparing with all other genes.
Submit candidate sequences to public databases - BLAST search.
Since organisms share common ancestors, gene sequences are generally similar.
A “REAL” gene will likely be found in other Organisms.