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AAT Bioquest

What are the functions of DNA ligase?

Posted March 26, 2024


Answer

This enzyme serves several important functions. 

  • It plays a crucial role in DNA replication, DNA recombination, and DNA repair, helping to join the nicks and form a phosphodiester bond between the nucleotides. This helps to maintain genomic integrity. 
  • Researchers use DNA ligase with restriction endonuclease enzyme in order to insert DNA segments, often genes, into the plasmid. 
  • DNA ligases that are purified from various organisms are used in gene cloning to join DNA molecules together with the aim of generating recombinant DNA. 
  • E. coli DNA ligases are particularly useful for high-efficiency cloning of full-length cDNA. 
Additional resources

DNA Ligases: Progress and Prospects

DNA and RNA Quantitation

Helixyte™ Green *10,000X Aqueous PCR Solution*