Multiple Choice
Which of the following properties are shared by many organic chemistry reactions that occur in cells?
3. Acids and Bases
Organic Chemistry Reactions
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What is the enzyme used to anneal the sticky ends of a plasmid to an inserted gene in a cloning reaction?
A
DNA ligase
B
RNA polymerase
C
Helicase
D
Restriction endonuclease
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the context: In molecular cloning, the goal is to insert a gene of interest into a plasmid vector. This involves cutting both the plasmid and the gene with the same restriction enzyme to create compatible sticky ends.
Identify the role of sticky ends: Sticky ends are overhanging sequences of single-stranded DNA that are complementary to each other, allowing the gene and plasmid to align and pair up.
Recognize the need for an enzyme: After the sticky ends of the plasmid and the gene have paired, an enzyme is required to form phosphodiester bonds between the sugar-phosphate backbones of the DNA strands, thus sealing the nicks and creating a continuous DNA molecule.
Identify the correct enzyme: DNA ligase is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the formation of phosphodiester bonds between adjacent nucleotides, effectively 'gluing' the DNA fragments together.
Differentiate from other enzymes: RNA polymerase synthesizes RNA from a DNA template, helicase unwinds DNA strands, and restriction endonucleases cut DNA at specific sequences. None of these enzymes are involved in the ligation process of annealing sticky ends.
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