the restriction enzyme bamhi cuts the sequence 5 GGATCC-3'. The enzyme Mbol cuts the sequence 5'-GATC-3'.

Question

the restriction enzyme bamhi cuts the sequence 5 GGATCC-3'. The enzyme Mbol cuts the sequence 5'-GATC-3'.

which enzyme has more sites in a typical viral double stranded DNA?

which will generate larger DNA fragments on average?

Answer 1

This is a great question! And it can be answered without knowing the actual DNA sequence that the enzymes would be cutting! Take a look at these two restriction enzymes - bamhi requires a sequence of six nucleotides, whereas Mbol requires a sequence of four nucleotides. And let's assume that both restriction enzymes have a high level of specificity. Given that the required nucleotide sequence from Mbol is two nucleotides shorter, it is more likely that there are more Mbol sequences in the viral genome than bamhi sequences, assuming a random distribution of nucleotides.

For the second part of the question, if there are likely to be more Mbol sequences in the viral genome, the pieces left over after the enzyme does its job will be, on average, shorter than the sequences left after the bamhi does its job. Given the same length of the viral genome, more cuts means more sequences, and more sequences mean fewer nucleotides on average.

I hope this helps!