An adapter or adaptor, or a linker in
genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including t ...
is a short, chemically synthesized, single-stranded or double-stranded oligonucleotide that can be ligated to the ends of other DNA or RNA molecules. Double stranded adapters can be synthesized to have blunt ends to both terminals or to have sticky end at one end and blunt end at the other. For instance, a
double stranded DNA adapter can be used to link the
ends
End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to:
End
*In mathematics:
**End (category theory)
** End (topology)
**End (graph theory)
** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous)
**End (endomorphism)
*In sports and games
** End (gridiron footbal ...
of two other DNA molecules (i.e., ends that do not have "sticky ends", that is complementary protruding single strands by themselves). It may be used to add
sticky ends
DNA ends refer to the properties of the ends of linear DNA molecules, which in molecular biology are described as "sticky" or "blunt" based on the shape of the complementary strands at the terminus. In sticky ends, one strand is longer than the ...
to
cDNA allowing it to be ligated into the
plasmid
A plasmid is a small, extrachromosomal DNA molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. They are most commonly found as small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria; how ...
much more efficiently. Two adapters could base pair to each other to form
dimers.
A conversion adapter is used to join a DNA insert cut with one
restriction enzyme
A restriction enzyme, restriction endonuclease, REase, ENase or'' restrictase '' is an enzyme that cleaves DNA into fragments at or near specific recognition sites within molecules known as restriction sites. Restriction enzymes are one class o ...
, say
EcoRl, with a vector opened with another enzyme,
Bam Hl. This adapter can be used to convert the cohesive end produced by Bam Hl to one produced by Eco Rl or vice versa.
One of its applications is ligating cDNA into a plasmid or other vectors instead of using Terminal deoxynucleotide Transferase enzyme to add poly A to the cDNA fragment.
[Singh, B.D (2003). Biotechnology: Expanding Horizons. New Delhi: Kalyani Publishers]
References
Genetic engineering
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