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To screen a genomic library for a particular gene or sequence of interest, researchers must know something about that gene. If researchers have a portion of the sequence of DNA for the gene of interest, they can design a DNA probe , a single-stranded DNA fragment that is complementary to part of the gene of interest and different from other DNA sequences in the sample. The DNA probe may be synthesized chemically by commercial laboratories, or it may be created by cloning, isolating, and denaturing a DNA fragment from a living organism. In either case, the DNA probe must be labeled with a molecular tag or beacon, such as a radioactive phosphorus atom (as is used for autoradiography ) or a fluorescent dye (as is used in fluorescent in situ hybridization, or FISH), so that the probe and the DNA it binds to can be seen ( [link] ). The DNA sample being probed must also be denatured to make it single-stranded so that the single-stranded DNA probe can anneal to the single-stranded DNA sample at locations where their sequences are complementary. While these techniques are valuable for diagnosis, their direct use on sputum and other bodily samples may be problematic due to the complex nature of these samples. DNA often must first be isolated from bodily samples through chemical extraction methods before a DNA probe can be used to identify pathogens.

A diagram of DNA probe. First a gene of interest is identified and cloned. Then single stranded probes are labeled with a molecular beacon. Finally, the DNA probe binds to complementary sequences in a DNA sample. The complementary sequences are single stranded DNA. The probe only attaches to one of the ssDNA sequences since it has the gene of interest in it
DNA probes can be used to confirm the presence of a suspected pathogen in patient samples. This diagram illustrates how a DNA probe can be used to search for a gene of interest associated with the suspected pathogen.

Part 2

The mild, flu-like symptoms that Kayla is experiencing could be caused by any number of infectious agents. In addition, several non-infectious autoimmune conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also have symptoms that are consistent with Kayla’s early symptoms. However, over the course of several weeks, Kayla’s symptoms worsened. She began to experience joint pain in her knees, heart palpitations, and a strange limpness in her facial muscles. In addition, she suffered from a stiff neck and painful headaches. Reluctantly, she decided it was time to seek medical attention.

  • Do Kayla’s new symptoms provide any clues as to what type of infection or other medical condition she may have?
  • What tests or tools might a health-care provider use to pinpoint the pathogen causing Kayla’s symptoms?

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Agarose gel electrophoresis

There are a number of situations in which a researcher might want to physically separate a collection of DNA fragments of different sizes. A researcher may also digest a DNA sample with a restriction enzyme to form fragments. The resulting size and fragment distribution pattern can often yield useful information about the sequence of DNA bases that can be used, much like a bar-code scan, to identify the individual or species to which the DNA belongs.

Gel electrophoresis is a technique commonly used to separate biological molecules based on size and biochemical characteristics, such as charge and polarity. Agarose gel electrophoresis is widely used to separate DNA (or RNA) of varying sizes that may be generated by restriction enzyme digestion or by other means, such as the PCR ( [link] ).

Questions & Answers

I'm interested in biological psychology and cognitive psychology
Tanya Reply
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sammie Reply
physiological Psychology
Nwosu Reply
How can I develope my cognitive domain
Amanyire Reply
why is communication effective
Dakolo Reply
Communication is effective because it allows individuals to share ideas, thoughts, and information with others.
effective communication can lead to improved outcomes in various settings, including personal relationships, business environments, and educational settings. By communicating effectively, individuals can negotiate effectively, solve problems collaboratively, and work towards common goals.
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miss
Every time someone flushes a toilet in the apartment building, the person begins to jumb back automatically after hearing the flush, before the water temperature changes. Identify the types of learning, if it is classical conditioning identify the NS, UCS, CS and CR. If it is operant conditioning, identify the type of consequence positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement or punishment
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Wekolamo
because it helps many people around the world to understand how to interact with other people and understand them well, for example at work (job).
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Agreed 👍 There are many parts of our brains and behaviors, we really need to get to know. Blessings for everyone and happy Sunday!
ARC
A child is a member of community not society elucidate ?
JESSY Reply
Isn't practices worldwide, be it psychology, be it science. isn't much just a false belief of control over something the mind cannot truly comprehend?
Simon Reply
compare and contrast skinner's perspective on personality development on freud
namakula Reply
Skinner skipped the whole unconscious phenomenon and rather emphasized on classical conditioning
war
explain how nature and nurture affect the development and later the productivity of an individual.
Amesalu Reply
nature is an hereditary factor while nurture is an environmental factor which constitute an individual personality. so if an individual's parent has a deviant behavior and was also brought up in an deviant environment, observation of the behavior and the inborn trait we make the individual deviant.
Samuel
I am taking this course because I am hoping that I could somehow learn more about my chosen field of interest and due to the fact that being a PsyD really ignites my passion as an individual the more I hope to learn about developing and literally explore the complexity of my critical thinking skills
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Jonathan
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Jonathan
generally amnesi how long yrs memory loss
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interpersonal relationships
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What would be the best educational aid(s) for gifted kids/savants?
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Source:  OpenStax, Microbiology. OpenStax CNX. Nov 01, 2016 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col12087/1.4
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