Table of contents

1. Introduction to Genetics51m
2. Mendel's Laws of Inheritance3h 37m
3. Extensions to Mendelian Inheritance2h 41m
4. Genetic Mapping and Linkage2h 28m
5. Genetics of Bacteria and Viruses1h 21m
6. Chromosomal Variation1h 48m
7. DNA and Chromosome Structure56m
8. DNA Replication1h 10m
9. Mitosis and Meiosis1h 34m
10. Transcription1h 0m
11. Translation58m
12. Gene Regulation in Prokaryotes1h 19m
13. Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes44m
14. Genetic Control of Development44m
15. Genomes and Genomics1h 50m
16. Transposable Elements47m
17. Mutation, Repair, and Recombination1h 6m
18. Molecular Genetic Tools19m
- Genetic Cloning
  9m
- Methods for Analyzing DNA
  9m
19. Cancer Genetics29m
- Overview of Cancer
  21m
- Cancer Mutations
  7m
20. Quantitative Genetics1h 26m
21. Population Genetics50m
- Hardy Weinberg
  19m
- Allelic Frequency Changes
  31m
22. Evolutionary Genetics29m

18. Molecular Genetic Tools

Genetic Cloning

Genetics

18. Molecular Genetic Tools

Genetic Cloning

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2:23 minutes

Problem 8

Textbook Question

List the advantages and disadvantages of using plasmids as cloning vectors. What advantages do BACs and YACs provide over plasmids as cloning vectors?

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Plasmids are small, circular DNA molecules that replicate independently of the chromosomal DNA in bacteria, making them useful as cloning vectors.

Advantages of using plasmids as cloning vectors include their ability to replicate independently, ease of manipulation, and the presence of selectable markers for identifying successful clones.

Disadvantages of plasmids include their limited capacity for DNA inserts, typically up to 10 kb, which restricts the size of the DNA fragments that can be cloned.

Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes (BACs) and Yeast Artificial Chromosomes (YACs) provide advantages over plasmids by allowing the cloning of much larger DNA fragments, with BACs accommodating up to 300 kb and YACs up to 1 Mb.

BACs and YACs are useful for constructing genomic libraries and mapping large genomes, as they can maintain large DNA fragments more stably than plasmids.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Plasmids as Cloning Vectors

Plasmids are small, circular DNA molecules that can replicate independently within a bacterial cell. They are commonly used as cloning vectors due to their ability to carry foreign DNA into host cells, facilitating gene cloning and expression. Advantages include ease of manipulation, high copy number, and the ability to introduce genes into various organisms. However, they have limitations in size capacity and stability compared to larger vectors.

BACs (Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes)

BACs are large plasmid-derived vectors that can carry up to 300 kilobases of DNA, making them suitable for cloning large fragments of genomic DNA. They are particularly useful in genomic mapping and sequencing projects, such as the Human Genome Project. BACs provide greater stability and lower copy number than plasmids, which helps maintain the integrity of large inserts during replication.

YACs (Yeast Artificial Chromosomes)

YACs are vectors derived from yeast that can accommodate even larger DNA fragments, up to 1 megabase. They are advantageous for cloning eukaryotic genes and studying complex genomic structures due to their eukaryotic origin. YACs allow for post-translational modifications and proper gene expression in yeast, but they can be less stable than BACs and more prone to rearrangements.

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Related Practice

Textbook Question

Using DNA sequencing on a cloned DNA segment, you recover the nucleotide sequence shown below. Does this segment contain a palindromic recognition sequence for a restriction enzyme? If so, what is the double-stranded sequence of the palindrome, and what enzyme would cut at this sequence?

CAGTATGGATCCCAT

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Textbook Question

Using animal models of human diseases can lead to insights into the cellular and genetic bases of the diseases. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the consequence of an X-linked recessive allele.

How would you make a Drosophila model of DMD?

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Textbook Question

Restriction sites are palindromic; that is, they read the same in the 5' to 3' direction on each strand of DNA. What is the advantage of having restriction sites organized this way?

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Textbook Question

Using animal models of human diseases can lead to insights into the cellular and genetic bases of the diseases. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the consequence of an X-linked recessive allele.

How would you make a mouse model of DMD?

538

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Textbook Question

Compare methods for constructing homologous recombinant transgenic mice and yeast.

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Textbook Question

What are the advantages of using a restriction enzyme whose recognition site is relatively rare? When would you use such enzymes?

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Textbook Question