Recombinant DNA Flashcards
name the 4 important achievements leading to modern molecular biology
- Restriction endonucleases(enzymes)
- Cloning of DNA
- Creation of synthetic probes
- PCR
what do restriction endonucleases do?
- cleave very specific DNA sequences
- usually recognize sequences that are short (4-8 base pairs)
what are the short DNA sequences recognized by restriction enzymes called?
palindromes (also called restriction sequences)
how would you identify a palindrome?
-it is read the exact same (identical, not base pairs) from 5’ to 3’ direction on both strands
what are the two types of ends that can be formed when a restriction enzyme cleaves a DNA sequence?
- sticky ends
- blunt ends
which end is preferable for ligation? why?
sticky end!
-helps orient the DNA you want to ligate
how are restriction enzymes named?
-for the organism they were derived from
what is a restriction site?
- DNA sequence that can be cleaved by a restriction enzyme
- same thing as a palidrome
restriction enzymes that recognize LARGER sequences cut more or less frequently than the ones that recognize smaller sequences
-enzymes that recognize larger sequences cut less frequently
in general, restriction enzymes are…
tools that cut, paste, and analyze DNA
why is it important to know if the restriction enzyme recognizes larger or smaller sequences?
-if you are preparing DNA for a gel, you need to know how many fragments you are going to end up with.
Fragments of DNA can be “pasted” together to make a hybrid molecule known as…
-recombinant DNA
what enzyme creates the phosphodiester bonds that connect the sequences of DNA in the recombinant DNA?
DNA ligase
what are the two ways you can get recombinant DNA?
- generate it from PCR
2. get it straight from an organism
in the simplest sense, DNA cloning involves inserting a _________ into a ________
-inserting a restriction fragment (recombinant DNA) into a cloning vector
when is DNA considered “cloned”
as soon as it is inserted into the vector
what is a vector?
- molecules of DNA that can accept fragments of foreign DNA
- usually circular
what are the 3 things a vector must have?
- must be capable of replication in the cell (organism)
- must have at least one restriction site for foreign DNA
- must carry at least one gene for selection
what is the most common type of gene for selection used in a vector?
antibiotic resistance
why would you use two different restriction enzymes to cut the vector?
-to help the orientation of the inserted DNA
what is the most common vector? second most common?
- prokaryotic plasmids
2. yeast plasmids
what are the two different DNA libraries?
- Genomic DNA libraries
2. cDNA libraries
the collection of Genomimc DNA libraries contains what?
-all sequences in the genome, including coding regions, introns, promoters, etc.
how is the genomimc DNA library made?
-ENTIRE genome is chopped up by restriction enzymes, cloned into vectors, and used to transform bacteria
what is cDNA library also known as?
-complementary DNA library
how is cDNA generated?
- using isolated mRNA from a particular cell or tissue type
- mRNA is reverse transcribed and the second strand is synthesized
- it is then ligated into a vector, used to transform bacteria, and 1000s of clones are collected
what does cDNA library contain?
-sequences representing all mRNAs present in the cell or tissue type at the time the mRNA was collected
how much of the genome is represented with genomic DNA libraries? cDNA libraries?
genomic-representative of the entire genome
cDNA- only what was collected/present at that time
DNA from a cDNA library can be cloned into an expression vector for production of…
proteins!
what does the bacterial expression vector need to transform expression bacteria strains?
-promoter, shine-dalgarno sequence, and cDNA
why would you chose to use a yeast vector instead of a bacterial vector?
-when you want to express a protein that is integrated into the membrane
what is DNA sequencing used for?
to determine the exact sequence of a clones or PCR amplified stretch of DNA
what is used in DNA sequencing to stop DNA elongation? why?
- DIdeoxyribonucleotides
- ddCTP, ddATP, ddGTP, ddTTP
- they lack a free OH group, so elongation cannot continue
what are probes used for in general?
used to identify DNA fragments