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a. What term is used to describe the ends of the fragments produced by MstII? Molecular studies have shown that the sickle cell allele differs only by one base pair from the normal allele - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 7 - 2004 - Paper 1
Question 7
a. What term is used to describe the ends of the fragments produced by MstII? Molecular studies have shown that the sickle cell allele differs only by one base pair... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:a. What term is used to describe the ends of the fragments produced by MstII? Molecular studies have shown that the sickle cell allele differs only by one base pair from the normal allele - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 7 - 2004 - Paper 1
Step 1
What term is used to describe the ends of the fragments produced by MstII?
Answer
The term used to describe the ends of the fragments produced by MstII is "sticky ends.” Sticky ends are formed when the restriction enzyme MstII cuts the DNA, leaving overhanging sequences, allowing these fragments to easily anneal with complementary sequences.
Step 2
How is the action of the MstII enzyme affected by the HbS mutation?
Answer
The action of the MstII enzyme is affected by the HbS mutation in two ways: firstly, the enzyme may not cut the DNA at the HbS sequence, or secondly, the enzyme may no longer recognize the altered sequence due to the base pair change. This means that, compared to the normal allele, the sickle cell mutation results in different banding patterns during gel electrophoresis.