Textbook Question
What is CODIS? Describe the four most important features of genetic markers used in this system.
Ch. 15 - Recombinant DNA Technology and Its Applications
Sanders3rd EditionGenetic Analysis: An Integrated ApproachISBN: 9780135564172
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Table of contents
- Ch. 1 - The Molecular Basis of Heredity, Variation, and Evolution64
- Ch. 2 - Transmission Genetics144
- Ch. 3 - Cell Division and Chromosome Heredity81
- Ch. 4 - Gene Interaction87
- Ch. 5 - Genetic Linkage and Mapping in Eukaryotes103
- Ch. 6 - Genetic Analysis and Mapping in Bacteria and Bacteriophages73
- Ch. 7 - DNA Structure and Replication71
- Ch. 8 - Molecular Biology of Transcription and RNA Processing79
- Ch. 9 - The Molecular Biology of Translation110
- Ch. 10 - Eukaryotic Chromosome Abnormalities and Molecular Organization100
- Ch. 11 - Gene Mutation, DNA Repair, and Homologous Recombination86
- Ch. 12 - Regulation of Gene Expression in Bacteria and Bacteriophage90
- Ch. 13 - Regulation of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes38
- Ch. 14 - Analysis of Gene Function via Forward Genetics and Reverse Genetics72
- Ch. 15 - Recombinant DNA Technology and Its Applications69
- Ch. 16 - Genomics: Genetics from a Whole-Genome Perspective49
- Ch. 17 - Organelle Inheritance and the Evolution of Organelle Genomes27
- Ch. 18 - Developmental Genetics43
- Ch. 19 - Genetic Analysis of Quantitative Traits66
- Ch. 20 - Population Genetics and Evolution at the Population, Species, and Molecular Levels105
Sanders3rd EditionGenetic Analysis: An Integrated ApproachISBN: 9780135564172Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 15, Problem 1
What purpose do the bla and lacZ genes serve in the plasmid vector pUC18?
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand that plasmid vectors like pUC18 are used in molecular cloning to carry foreign DNA into host cells and allow for selection and identification of successful clones.
Recognize that the bla gene in pUC18 encodes the enzyme beta-lactamase, which provides resistance to the antibiotic ampicillin, allowing for selection of bacteria that have taken up the plasmid.
Know that the lacZ gene encodes the enzyme beta-galactosidase, which can cleave substrates like X-gal to produce a blue color, enabling blue-white screening to distinguish recombinant plasmids from non-recombinant ones.
Understand that insertion of foreign DNA into the multiple cloning site within the lacZ gene disrupts its function, so colonies with recombinant plasmids remain white, while those with non-recombinant plasmids turn blue on X-gal plates.
Summarize that bla allows for antibiotic selection, and lacZ enables visual screening of recombinant clones, both essential for efficient identification of successful cloning events using pUC18.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Plasmid Vectors
Plasmid vectors are circular DNA molecules used to carry foreign genes into host cells. They contain essential elements like an origin of replication and selectable markers, enabling replication and identification of transformed cells.
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bla Gene (Beta-lactamase)
The bla gene encodes beta-lactamase, an enzyme that provides resistance to ampicillin. In plasmid vectors like pUC18, it serves as a selectable marker, allowing only bacteria that have taken up the plasmid to grow in the presence of ampicillin.
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lacZ Gene and Blue-White Screening
The lacZ gene encodes beta-galactosidase, which cleaves X-gal to produce a blue color. In pUC18, disruption of lacZ by inserted DNA prevents blue color formation, enabling blue-white screening to distinguish recombinant (white) from non-recombinant (blue) colonies.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
Compare and contrast the terms Paternity Index (PI) and Combined Paternity Index (CPI). How does each contribute to paternity determination?
Textbook Question
The human genome is 3×10⁹ bp in length.
How many fragments would be predicted to result from the complete digestion of the human genome with the following enzymes: Sau3A (˘GATC), BamHI (G˘GATCC), EcoRI (G˘AATTC), and NotI (GC˘GGCCGC)?