The restriction enzyme NotI recognizes a specific DNA sequence of eight base pairs and cleaves at that site. Statistically, in any genome there should be one NotI recognition site for every _______ base pairs. A) 3⁸ B) 8³ C) 4⁸ D) 8⁴

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The NotI recognition sequence is 8 base pairs long. Therefore, the probability of finding this sequence at any given site is (1/4)^8 or 1 in 65,536 base pairs on average. Hence, statistically, in any genome there should be one NotI recognition site for every ~65,536 base pairs. Among the given options, only option C (4⁸) has a value close to this.

The Restriction Enzyme NotI Recognizes a Specific DNA Sequence of Eight