AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -DNA ligase is a DNA-joining enzyme. If two pieces of DNA have matching ends, ligase can link them to form a single, unbroken molecule of DNA. In DNA cloning, restriction enzymes and DNA ligase are used to insert genes and other pieces of DNA into plasmids.

Detailed explanation-2: -Ligase, an enzyme that uses ATP to form bonds, is used in recombinant DNA cloning to join restriction endonuclease fragments that have annealed. The ligase commonly used is T4 DNA ligase, which was first isolated from E. coli that were infected with the lytic bacteriophage T4.

Detailed explanation-3: -DNA ligases play an essential role in maintaining genomic integrity by joining breaks in the phosphodiester backbone of DNA that occur during replication and recombination, and as a consequence of DNA damage and its repair.

Detailed explanation-4: -The DNA ligase enzyme family catalyzes the formation of a phosphodiester bond between juxtaposed 5’-phosphate and 3’-hydroxyl termini in duplex DNA. This activity can seal nicks in duplex DNA or join double-stranded DNA fragments having either blunt or cohesive ends.

Detailed explanation-5: -Restriction enzymes, found naturally in bacteria, can be used to cut DNA fragments at specific sequences, while another enzyme, DNA ligase, can attach or rejoin DNA fragments with complementary ends.