cloning

Shifting Conservation Status: Endangered Species Get a Second Chance

Posted on by Riley Bell

On May 21st, 2021 we celebrate National Endangered Species Day. This day helps raise awareness and increase knowledge of endangered species and wildlife, in hopes to save them. We have been lucky enough to collaborate with organizations and partners to help save species that were on the brink of extinction. Take a look at some species that are hoping for a second chance to survive and thrive.

Kit Elizabeth Ann the Black-Footed Ferret

Picture of black footed ferret Elizabeth Anne, one of the endangered species that Revive & Restore is working on.

In February 2018, resurrection efforts began for the then endangered black-footed ferret. With the help of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Revive and Restore, partners ViaGen Pets & Equine, San Diego Zoo Global, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the successful cloning of a black-footed ferret was announced in February 2021. “Elizabeth Ann” was cloned from Willa, a female ferret that died in 1988, using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Elizabeth Ann’s genetic variants reveal a lot of much-needed hope for the genetic diversity of wild ferrets. Check out the full story on Elizabeth Ann’s journey here!

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Galloping to Greatness: Meet Kurt the First Cloned Przewalski’s Horse

Posted on by Natalie Larsen

On August 6, 2020, the first successfully cloned Przewalski’s horse was born at the Texas-based veterinary facility, Timber Creek Veterinary, along with a new hope for restoring some much-needed genetic diversity to the species. The successful birth of this foal is the culmination of the collaborative efforts between Revive & Restore, San Diego Zoo Global (SDZG), and ViaGen Equine, and lays the groundwork as an important model for future conservation efforts.

Kurt the first cloned Przewalsk'si horse
Kurt at Timber Creek Veterinary, 09/28/20.
Photo by Scott Stine.

The new Przewalski’s foal (pronounced “shuh-VAL-skees”) has been affectionately dubbed Kurt, in honor of noted animal conservationist, geneticist and pathologist, Dr. Kurt Benirschke. Dr. Benirschke played an instrumental role in founding the Frozen Zoo®, a genetic library comprised of cryopreserved cell lines of endangered species. Established in the 1970s, this collection was built on a foundation of prescient hope, banking on the future development of reproductive and cloning technologies that did not yet exist.

Now thanks to his foresight, that gamble is paying off and the fruits of that labor are literally being brought to life almost 50 years later through Kurt the foal, who is as adorable as he is important to the future of his kind.

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Cloning with pGEM®-T Vectors: Ligation

Posted on by Leah Cronan
T-Vector Cloning

One of the easiest methods for cloning blunt-ended DNA fragments including PCR products is T-vector cloning, such as with pGEM®-T or pGEM®-T Easy Vector Systems. This method takes advantage of the “A” overhang added by a PCR enzyme like Taq DNA Polymerase. T vectors are linearized plasmids that have been treated to add 3′ T overhangs to match the A overhangs of the insert. The insert is directly ligated to the T-tailed plasmid vector with T4 DNA ligase. The insert can then be easily transferred from the T vector to other plasmids using the restriction sites present in the multiple cloning region of the T vector.

Proofreading polymerases like Pfu do not add “A” overhangs so PCR products generated with these polymerases are blunt-ended. In a previous blog, we discussed a simple method for adding an A-tail to any blunt-ended DNA fragment to enable T-vector cloning. Below, we think about the next step: Ligation.

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T-Vector Cloning: Questions, Answers and Tips

Posted on by Leah Cronan
Blue/White colony screening helps you pick only the colonies that have your insert.

Q: Can PCR products generated with GoTaq DNA Polymerase be used to for T- vector cloning?

A: Yes. GoTaq® DNA Polymerase is a robust formulation of unmodified Taq Polymerase. GoTaq® DNA Polymerase lacks 3’ →5’ exonuclease activity and displays terminal transferase activity that adds a 3′ deoxyadenosine (dA) to product ends. As a result, PCR products amplified using GoTaq® DNA Polymerases (including the GoTaq® Flexi and GoTaq® G2 polymerases) will contain A-overhangs which makes them suitable for T-vector cloning with the pGEM®-T (Cat.# A3600), pGEM®-T Easy (Cat.# A1360) and pTARGET™ (Cat.# A1410) Vectors.

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Restriction Enzyme Digestion: Capabilities and Resources

Posted on by Promega
Image of someone pipetting while setting up a restriction enzyme digestion

Restriction enzymes recognize short DNA sequences and cleave double-stranded DNA at specific sites within or adjacent to these sequences.  These enzymes are the workhorse in many molecular biology applications such as cloning, RFLP, methylation-specific restriction enzyme analysis of DNA, etc.  Restriction enzymes with enhanced capabilities can help you streamline and shorten these workflows and improve success of restriction enzyme digestion.

A subset of Promega restriction enzymes offer capabilities that  include rapid digestion of DNA in 15 minutes or less, ability to completely digest DNA directly in the GoTaq® Green Master Mix, and Blue/White Cloning Qualification which allows for rapid, reliable detection of transformants.

To learn more about restriction enzymes and applications, check out Restriction Enzyme Resource on the web. The resource provides everything from information on restriction enzyme biology to practical information on how to set up and design a restriction enzyme digestion. This resource also contains useful online tools, including the Restriction Enzyme Tool, to help you use enzymes more effectively. It helps you choose the best reaction buffer for double digests, find the commercially available enzyme that cuts your sequence of interest, find compatible ends, and search for specific information on cut site, overhang isoschizomers and neoschizomers by enzyme name.

For added convenience, you can download the mobile app available for iOS devices and use the Restriction Enzyme Tool to plan your next digest.

For additional information regarding Restriction Enzyme Digest, reference the supplementary video below.

Related Posts

Selecting the Right Colony: The Answer is There in Blue and White

Posted on by Kelly Grooms
Agar plate containing colonies important for research, blue and white.
Agar plate containing colonies important for research.

Ah, the wonders and frustrations of cloning. We’ve all been there. After careful planning, you have created the cloned plasmid containing your DNA sequence of interest, transformed it into bacterial cells and carefully spread those cells on a plate to grow. Now you stand at your bench gazing down at your master piece: a plate full of tiny bacterial colonies. Somewhere inside those cells is your DNA sequence, happily replicating with its plasmid host. But wait – logic tells you that not ALL of those colonies can contain your plasmid.  There must be hundreds of colonies. Which ones have your plasmid? You begin to panic. Visions of yourself old and grey and still screening colonies flash through your mind. At the next bench, your lab-mate is cheerfully selecting colonies to screen. Although there are hundreds of colonies on her plate as well, some are white and some are blue. She is only picking the white colonies. What does she know that you don’t?

Continue reading “Selecting the Right Colony: The Answer is There in Blue and White”

Cloning Modified Blunt-ended DNA Fragments into T-Vectors

Posted on by Kelly Grooms

Tailing blunt-ended DNA fragments with TaqDNA Polymerase allows efficient cloning of these fragments into T-Vectors such as the pGEM®-T Vectors. This method also eliminates some of the requirements of conventional blunt-end cloning — Fewer steps, who can argue with that?

Blue/White colony screening helps you pick only the colonies that have your insert.
Blue/White colony screening helps you pick only the colonies that have your insert.

Continue reading “Cloning Modified Blunt-ended DNA Fragments into T-Vectors”

From Napkin Sketch to “Custom Kit”: CloneWeaver® Workflow Builder Gets Your Cloning Organized

Posted on by Michele Arduengo

20161018_150403Let’s face it, most lab techs and purchasing agents aren’t all that happy when you send them an Instagram picture of your latest lunchroom-napkin cloning strategy as your order form for your next big cloning experiment. So we have created the CloneWeaver® Workflow Builder. You can transfer your brilliance easily from that lunchroom napkin to an orderly email or print out of every vector, enzyme, purification kit, and transfection reagent your next big molecular cloning experiment requires. You can even save your one-of-a-kind “cloning kit” for future endeavors.

The CloneWeaver® tool will walk you through every step of the molecular cloning process from selecting a vector to finding a transfection reagent for mammalian cells. So if you are starting a new project, we are with you every step of the way. We will help you find restriction enzymes and even remind you about markers and biochemicals that you may want to have on hand for your experiment. Within the tool we have links to additional resources like our RE Tool and catalog pages if you need more help.

clone_weaverAlready have a favorite vector and a freezer full of restriction enzymes? No problem, skip those steps and move on to getting the perfectly sized nucleic acid markers or the particular polymerase your experiment requires.

Are you teaching a molecular genetics course? CloneWeaver® workflow builder is perfect for creating the list of laboratory reagents you are going to need for your students—and you will have this same list as a starting point for other lab experiments or classes later on because you can save the lists that you build. You can even pass them along to other professors.

So, if molecular cloning is in your future, let us help you get organized. Try the CloneWeaver® Workflow Builder.

Cloning Tips for Restriction Enzyme-Digested Vectors and Inserts

Posted on by Sara Klink

Cartoon created and owned by Ed Himelblau
While T-vector cloning is commonly used for PCR-amplified inserts, restriction enzymes still have their uses. For example, you can ensure directional cloning if you digest a vector with the same two enzymes like BamHI and EcoRI that are used to digest your insert. This way, the insert can only be cloned in one direction. However, there are other cloning techniques that can be used to modify the end of vectors and inserts after restriction enzyme digestion and prior to ligation. Continue reading “Cloning Tips for Restriction Enzyme-Digested Vectors and Inserts”

Successful Ligation and Cloning of Your Insert

Posted on by Sara Klink
Ligation and cloning
Cloning PCR product.

You have PCR amplified your insert of interest, made sure the PCR product is A tailed and are ready to clone into a T vector (e.g., pGEM®-T Easy Vector). The next step is as simple as mixing a few microliters of your purified product with the cloning vector in the presence of DNA ligase, buffer and ATP, right? In fact, you may need to consider the molar ratio of T vector to insert.

Continue reading “Successful Ligation and Cloning of Your Insert”