Mutagens are biological, physical or chemical agents that change the genetic materials (inclusive of DNA and RNA molecules) of an organism and thus increase the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. They are substances that change the genetic information of an organism, usually by changing DNA. Mutagens interact with nucleic acid molecules particularly […]
PCR is the acronym for “polymerase chain reaction”. Polymerase chain reaction is the molecular biology technique that is used to amplify or copy specific gene sequences or nucleotides of a DNA molecule or gene. It was invented by Kary Mullis and his colleagues in the early 1980s; and PCR technique is the most widely used
Restriction endonucleases are DNA cutting enzymes specifically found and isolated from bacteria; and which nick specific sites on a nucleotide sequence known as restriction sites. Restriction sites are the different sites on a DNA molecule that is nicked by a particular restriction enzyme. Several types of restriction enzymes exist, and they are primarily sourced from
ENZYMES USED IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TECHNIQUES Read More »
Biotechnology, Molecular Microbiology, Techniques in Microbiology Lab
Fredrick Griffith showed in 1928 that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the genetic material of the cell. His work was unique because it was the first evidence that showed that DNA is the genetic material of the cell. Other scientists that also carried out experiments to establish that DNA is the genetic material include Oswald Avery,
Bacterial Transformation (The Transforming Principle) Read More »
Biotechnology, Molecular Microbiology
An understanding of the nucleic acid molecules which include deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) important for us to understand the molecular and/or genetic basis of life. Nucleic acid molecules are found in all living organisms as the carriers of genetic materials from parent organisms to their offspring’s. With the exception of viruses (which
RIBONUCLEIC ACID (RNA) Read More »
Biotechnology, Molecular Microbiology
Proteins are a group of polypeptides that form a molecule of specific biological function; and they comprises mainly of amino acid sequences that are held together by a special type of covalent bonds known as peptide bonds. They are macromolecules that consist of long chains of amino acids held together in structural forms known as
PROTEIN STRUCTURE – types and function Read More »
Biotechnology, Molecular Microbiology
Purines are heterocyclic aromatic organic compound that consist of a pyrimidine ring fused to an imidazole ring. Purines are the larger of the two types of bases found in DNA. Adenine (A) and guanine (G) are purines. Adenine is always paired with thymine, and guanine is always paired with cytosine. Purines unlike pyrimidines (which have
PURINES & PYRIMIDINES Read More »
Biotechnology, Molecular Microbiology
Nucleotides are nucleosides with one or more phosphate groups covalently attached to the 3′ or 5′-hydroxyl group(s) (OH–) of a pentose sugar. A nucleoside is one of the four (4) DNA bases (i.e. adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine) covalently attached to the carbon-one (C1) position of a sugar molecule such as the pentose sugar. Deoxyribose
Thermocycler or thermal cycler is a piece of equipment is used for the copying or amplification of specific sequences of nucleotides through a controlled timing and temperature regulation. It is an important tool in the molecular biology laboratory. Thermocycler allows reaction mixtures in specialized tubes known as Eppendorf tubes (PCR tubes) to be heated and
THERMOCYCLER (PCR Machine) Read More »
Biotechnology, Molecular Microbiology, Techniques in Microbiology Lab
The Isolation of Genomic DNA from the bacterium, Escherichia coli is explained in this section Aim of the experiment: To isolate the genomic DNA from Escherichia coli DH5α cells. PRINCIPLE OF THE EXPERIMENT The isolation and purification of DNA from cells is one of the most common procedures in contemporary molecular biology and embodies a transition
GENOMIC DNA ISOLATION Read More »
Biotechnology, Molecular Microbiology