The discovery of restriction enzymes, made genetic engineering possible. Restriction enzymes are special enzymes that cut the DNA sequence at a specific known nucleotide sequence. Found in bacteria, restriction enzymes are used to kill attacking viruses. The bacteria restrict the DNA of the virus so that they become functionless fragments.
WHAT WE DID!
In our biology class, we used restriction enzymes to cut and separated the DNA of Enterobacteria phage lambda, a virus that infects the bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli). We used three different restriction enzymes in our experiment: HindIII, BamHI and EcoRI.
First we added 20 µL of the soluton containing the phage into four small tubes using a micro syringe In each tube we added one of the three restriction enzymes and the fourth tube we didn't add anything. It is important that when using the micro syringe, to use a fresh tip for each different enzymes. Once we did this carefully, we closed the tubes and put them in a warm water bath at 37°C for 30-45 minutes To support the tubes we put them into a floatable foam structure as seen in the image.
DNA is negative, as we want the DNA to travel to the far end of the tank, we put the positive end of the electrode on the far end so that the attraction would make the DNA move in that direction.
Once the sample had moved all the way through, we turned the electrode off and disconnected it.