Describe how FISH can be used to determine which cells within a microbial commun

Question

Describe how FISH can be used to determine which cells within a microbial community are actively degrading DDT (an insecticide for malaria control). Assume that the genes involved in the degradation have been sequenced from several microorganisms and vary only slightly from one another. Describe how FISH can be used to determine which cells within a microbial community are actively degrading DDT (an insecticide for malaria control). Assume that the genes involved in the degradation have been sequenced from several microorganisms and vary only slightly from one another.

Explanation / Answer

Fluorescent in situ hybridization is a cytogenetic and molecular technique which uses fluorescent probes for binding with the high sequence complementarity containing parts of the chromosomes. After binding, such probes emit light indicating the presence of a particular gene or DNA sequence.

The gene which is responsible for degradation of DDT has a particular nucleotide sequence. The other genes are different in their nucleotide sequence. If we determine the the amino acid sequence of the DDT degrading protein (enzyme) then we can determine the mRNA as well as gene nucleotide sequence. Now we can easily produce the probe linked with fluorescent die. When we apply these probes to different cells of a microbial community, some of the cells will emit light. And thus we can determine the cells that degrade the DDT molecules.

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