Are we Gelin'
This negatively charged part of DNA causes it to migrate toward the positive electrode during gel electrophoresis.
What is the phosphate backbone?
These enzymes were first discovered in bacteria, where they function as a defense mechanism against invading viral DNA.
What are restriction endonucleases?
This term describes DNA molecules formed by combining genetic material from two different sources into one sequence.
What is recombinant DNA?
CRISPR stands for this phrase describing repeating DNA sequences found in bacterial genomes.
What is Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats?
PCR stands for this laboratory technique used to amplify specific DNA sequences.
What is polymerase chain reaction?
This polysaccharide, derived from seaweed, forms the porous matrix used to separate DNA fragments by size.
What is agarose?
Most Type II restriction enzymes recognize short DNA sequences that have this type of symmetry, reading the same 5′ to 3′ on both strands.
What are palindromic sequences?
This prokaryotic organism is most commonly used as a host for propagating recombinant plasmids in molecular biology labs.
What is E. coli?
This protein functions as the endonuclease that creates a double-stranded break in DNA in the CRISPR system most commonly used in genome editing.
What is Cas9?
During this first step of PCR, DNA is heated to approximately 95°C to separate the two strands by disrupting hydrogen bonds.
What is denaturation?
During electrophoresis, smaller DNA fragments move faster because they experience less of this physical resistance in the gel matrix.
What is frictional resistance (or molecular sieving)?
When a restriction enzyme creates staggered cuts that leave single-stranded overhangs, these cohesive ends are produced.
What are sticky ends (or cohesive ends)?
This small, circular piece of DNA functions as a cloning vector and replicates independently inside bacterial cells.
What is a plasmid?
This short RNA molecule directs Cas9 to a complementary DNA sequence for precise cleavage.
What is guide RNA (gRNA or sgRNA)?
This PCR step allows short DNA sequences to bind to complementary target regions on the template strand.
What is annealing?
This intercalating dye fluoresces under UV light and is commonly used to visualize DNA bands in a gel.
What is ethidium bromide?
This type of DNA end is produced when both strands are cut at the same position, leaving no overhangs.
What are blunt ends?
To ensure a gene inserted into a vector is transcribed, it must be placed downstream of this DNA regulatory sequence.
What is a promoter?
A CRISPR-Cas9 double-stranded break requires hydrolysis of this specific bond between the 3′ hydroxyl of one nucleotide and the 5′ phosphate of the next.
What is the 3′–5′ phosphodiester linkage?
This thermostable DNA polymerase, originally isolated from Thermus aquaticus, is commonly used in PCR.
What is Taq polymerase?
DNA samples are loaded near this electrode so that they migrate through the gel toward the positive terminal.
What is the negative electrode (cathode)?
After digestion, this enzyme catalyzes formation of phosphodiester bonds to seal DNA fragments into a vector.
What is DNA ligase?
In blue-white screening using vectors like pUC19, white colonies typically indicate disruption of this reporter gene.
What is the lacZ gene?
In 2020, these two scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing CRISPR-Cas9 as a genome-editing tool.
Who are Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier?
Ideally, each PCR cycle doubles the amount of DNA, resulting in amplification that follows this type of mathematical growth pattern.
What is exponential growth?