Question

Explain the importance of how Polymerase Chain Reaction, Gel Electrophoresis and Restrictions Enzymes can be used in the real world.

Answer 1

Polymerase chain reaction- used in research labs and foresnsics. Its also used in genetic testing and diagnostic purposes. Its used to amplify genes which are associated with some genetic disorders from the DNA of patients. In cases of prenatal testing amplification is also done from fetal DNA. Its used in analysing clinical specimens for the presence of infectious agents like HIV, human pappiloma virus( which is detected in genital warts and cervical cancer) and hepatitis. Its used a genetic tool in DNA fingerprinting and this process identifies a person from millions of others. DNA that is isolated from a crime scene can be compared with the DNA of suspects. Its used a quality assurance tool in food industry by detecting microbes.

Gel electrophoresis- used in clinical chemistry to seperate proteins by charge or size, identify paternity cases, evidecein criminal cases, diagnose genetic diseases, determine kinship in animals, compare similarities and dissimilarities in species, its also used in microbiology labs to identify microorganisms. When DNA is placed on agarose gel or PAGE , then DNA will move towards positive end and will appear as bands on gel. This bands forms a pattern that is a fingerprint. DNA is transferred to nitrocellulose paper and probes in them bind wth DNA and when its exposed to x ray film, regions of DNA in probes will appear that reveals the fingerprint. In disease diagnosis, the sample is taken from patients and then isolate the germ and isolate the DNA from the bacteria. After the gel electrophoresis stain the gel and observe gel through UV luminator, and if the band of amplified DNA matches the band of your control DNA then the patient is suspected of disease.

restriction enzymes- used to manipulate DNA for different scientific applications, used to assist insertion of genes into plasmid vectors, during gene cloning and protein expression experiments. Its used to distinguish gene alleles by specifically recognising single base changes in DNA known as SNP's., used in cloning and protein expression experiments.