The Cell: A Molecular Approach

Fourth Edition

Book Link:

• Current Chapter: 4
  • Animations
  • Quiz
  • Problems
  • Micrographs
  • Videos
  • Weblinks
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10
• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12
• Chapter 13
• Chapter 14
• Chapter 15
• Chapter 16
• Chapter 17
• Chapter 18

Chapter 4: Fundamentals of Molecular Biology

Animations

The following animations are available for this chapter:

• 4.1  Avery, MacLeod, & McCarty Through a series of experiments in 1944, Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod, and Maclyn McCarty established that the transforming principle (genetic material) is DNA.
• 4.2  Bacterial Transformation A nonpathogenic strain of Pneumococcus can be transformed into a pathogenic strain by taking up DNA fragments from the pathogenic strain and incorporating them into its chromosome.
• 4.3  The "Central Dogma" The central dogma of molecular biology, as first stated by Francis Crick, asserts that information flows from DNA to RNA, and then from RNA to protein.
• 4.4  DNA Mutations A single base-pair mutation in the coding region of a gene can result in a prematurely terminated polypeptide or in a polypeptide with an incorrect amino acid in its amino acid chain, depending on the particular mutation.
• 4.5  HIV Reproduction As part of a replication cycle within a host cell, a retrovirus uses the enzyme reverse transcriptase to copy its RNA genome into DNA.
• 4.6  Restriction Endonucleases Restriction endonucleases cleave DNA at specific sequences, leaving staggered or blunt ends on the resulting DNA fragments.
• 4.7  Recombinant DNA Molecules The basic strategy in molecular cloning is to insert a DNA fragment of interest into a DNA molecule (called a vector) that is capable of independent replication in a host cell.
• 4.8  Sequencing a DNA Strand One method of DNA sequencing involves a modified DNA synthesis reaction using chain-terminating nucleotides and fluorescent primers, which can be identified by automated detection systems.
• 4.9  Polymerase Chain Reaction The polymerase chain reaction allows the production of millions of copies of a DNA fragment from just one starting DNA molecule.
• 4.10  Nucleic Acid Hybridization At high temperatures, the complementary strands of DNA separate, and then when they are cooled, they re-form double-stranded molecules as dictated by complementary base pairing.
• 4.11  Southern Blotting DNA fragments are separated by size using gel electrophoresis, and then—as part of the Southern blotting technique—they are incubated with a radioactive DNA probe to identify specific DNA fragments.
• 4.12  Colony Hybridization Bacteria can house recombinant DNA libraries, and specific recombinant DNA molecules within the library can be identified by the colony hybridization procedure—a procedure in which the DNA is incubated with a specific radioactive DNA probe.
• 4.13  Monoclonal Antibodies Monoclonal antibodies can be made by inoculating an animal (such as a mouse) with an antigen, providing the animal time to mount an immune response, collecting the B cells from the animal, and then fusing the B cells to long-lived myeloma cells—thereby creating hybridomas that can be tested for the production of useful antibodies.

These animations are in Adobe Flash format. These require the Flash player (version 9 or newer recommended), which can be downloaded free of charge from the Adobe website:
http://www.adobe.com/software/flashplayer/