DNA Sesame Street
I'm learning how to make DNA this week. Vectors. Restriction Enzymes. Basepairs.
Huh?
I don't have any experience in this and I'm really learning it all for the first time. I feel like a 4 year old learning how to pronounce words. Seriously. This is the step-by-step explanation I required today:
I'm chosing words to make this concept easier. For you molecular folk, just switch out the words for basepairs:
Take the two words
LIMELIGHT______HOUSEDRESS
Each can be specially cut into two parts each
LIME/LIGHT______HOUSE/DRESS
you can separate those two parts and pair them with a complimentary part of another word
__
LIME/_________+___________ /DRESS
&
____/LIGHT____+_____ HOUSE/
which will give you
LIME/DRESS and HOUSE/LIGHT
(note: you can't have /DRESSLIME/ or /LIGHTHOUSE/ or LIME/HOUSE/ or /LIGHT/DRESS because the words don't fit together that way -- imagine a puzzle piece having a sticking-out piece or a space for the sticking-out piece... you can't put them together if they both have sticking-out ends. )
Got it?
If so, congratulations; you just learned the basic concept behind restriction enzymes and putting together compatible cohesive ends of DNA.
posted by Lisa @ 5:11 PM
3 Comments:
lisa-i just ate a divine piece of chocolate cake the other night out, also discovered that a cafe next to my bldg makes chocolate croissants, oh my god- i am in trouble.
you're dna lecture made me laugh-i had to do that stuff years ago and of course forgot most of it, it's tricky, the other day i had to ask my boss what exons were....julie
I used to do a fair amount of this stuff even before the days of kits. If you ever need any help let me know.
-chuck
i love the dna sesame street!
i have a cartoon molecular biology for dummies book. i use it all the time.
Post a Comment
<< Home