Molecular Techniques And Diagnosis Flashcards
What is southern blotting?
Use gel electrophoresis to separate fragments of DNA (digested by endonucleases)
Soak in alkali to denature DNA
Then blot them onto a membrane nylon/nitrocellulose (capillary action)/electrophoretic transfer)
Then add labelled DNA probes
Wash
Visualise probes by exposing to X Rays.
What can denature DNA?
Heat, or pH>7
How are probes made?
Cloned DNA
Or made in the lab by an oligonucleotide synthesiser
Why use southern blotting?
Identify DNA Sequences from complex mixtures
Detect very small amounts of DNA
What can southern blotting be used for?
Investigate gene structure - large insertions or deletions
Investigate gene expansions and triplet repeats like in Huntingdonshire and fragile X syndrome
Identify mutations using allele specific probes
Investigate variation and relationships - genetic fingerprinting.
Can a probe that is not 100% complementary bind to DNA?
Yes, but it will bind less tightly.
What is the Sanger chain termination method?
Dideoxy chain termination
Uses dideoxynucleotides - no 3’ OH
If it is incorporated into growing DNA it prevents further elongation.
Have four test tubes, each containing a denatured DNA template, all 4 deoxynucleotides and one dideoxynucleotide, a primer (labeled) and DNA polymerase.
Incubate at 37 degrees Celsius
Gel electrophoresis in different lanes.
Read off the sequence
Now use fluorescently labelled dideoxynucleotides, all in the same test tube - produce chromatogram.
What produces endonucleases and why?
Bacteria, to recognise and degrade foreign DNA.
What do endonucleases recognise?
Recognise specific DNA sequences (usually palindromic, and 4,5,6 or 8 base pairs long)
What is the result when endonucleases digest DNA?
Fragments with over hanging single stranded DNA (sticky ends)
What produces EcoRI? Where does it cleave?
Escherichia coli strain RY13
GAATTC, cleaves between G and A
How do bacteria protect their own DNA from endonucleases?
Methylation
How many different restriction sites have been identified?
More than 200!
What is the gel in DNA gel electrophoresis?
Agarose
Where are the electrodes found in DNA gel electrophoresis?
Negative electrode at the wells for sample loading where larger fragments remain
Positive electrode at the other end, attracts negatively charged DNA.
What is required for gel electrophoresis?
Buffer
Gel
Power supply
Stain
Why use restriction analysis?
Investigate the size of fragments, identify small deletions
Investigate mutations
DNA variation and fingerprinting
Clone DNA.
How can genes be rejoined?
Cut with restriction enzymes
If overhanging sequences are complementary, can join with DNA ligase.
What are plasmids?
Small circular double stranded DNA in bacteria
Replicate independently
Can be transferred to other bacteria
Often confer antibiotic resistance.
How can you clone a human gene?
Isolate it and insert it into a plasmid that codes for antibiotic resistance = recombinant DNA molecule
Introduce it into a bacterium
Allow bacteria to replicate
Select for cells containing the plasmid by treating with antibiotic
Why clone human genes?l
Produce proteins like insulin
Find out what genes do
Genetic screening
How is the gene for insulin found?
Isolate mRNA for proinsulin
Use reverse transcriptase to synthesise cDNA (of proinsulin)
Can then introduce into plasmid, then E.Coli