Biology: Bacteriophage Virus

Introduction A bacteriophage is a virus that infects bacteria. A type of bacteriophage is bacteriophage lambda. This specific bacteriophage infects E. Coli. It is composed of protein and double stranded DNA ¡VdsDNA). The DNA of the phage contains around 50,000 base pairs and codes for 50 proteins. At both ends of the DNA of the phage, there are cohesive ends, which are composed of 12 nucleotides. Both ends compliment each other, which makes the DNA circular once together. This circular DNA is usually present in an infected bacterial cell. This protects the DNA to be degraded by the cell. In this laboratory experiment, restriction enzymes were used to analyze the DNA of the lambda phage. Restriction enzymes cut DNA in specific
This prevents the samples from overflowing in the gel. Once this was completed the gel was moved so that the wells were on the negative electrode side. Then 300mL of Triacetate EDTA Buffer with a pH of 8.0 was then added to the electrophoresis apparatus. The wires for the electrophoresis apparatus were then connected to the voltage base; one wire on the negative and the other on the positive. Then cover the gel with the lid and turning on the base to 120 mV. The electrophoresis was run for 20-30 minutes until the samples migrated around 1.5-2 mm of the positive electrode. This is observed by observing the bromophenol blue in the samples migrate 1.5-2mm of the positive electrode. Once the migration was complete, the gel was taken out of the apparatus and then placed in Methylene Blue dye overnight. The next day it was rinsed several times with distilled water and the distance of the bands were measured under the
This is a collection of techniques in which DNA is cut apart and spliced together with other DNA fragments. ¡§When segments of foreign DNA are transferred into another cell or organism, the substance for which they code may be produced along with substances coded for by the native genetic material of the cell or organism. Thus, these cells become "factories" for the production of the protein coded for by the inserted DNA.¡¨ This procedure has led scientist to come up with different procedure that is significant medically. Scientists can insert the gene that codes for insulin into a bacterial plasmid, thus, leading the bacteria to produce human insulin. The way in which this is done is that the plasmid is cut by restriction enzymes; leaving behind the cohesive ends. ¡§Special linking sequences are added to the human cDNA so that it will fit precisely into the loose ends of the opened plasmid DNA ring.¡¨ The completed ring, called the recombinant plasmid, is now inserted into a bacterial cell and allowed to produce insulin. This is a quicker and more efficient way in which human insulin can be