Question

Describe the whole-genome shotgun approach.

Short answer

The whole-genome shotgun approach involves multiple restriction enzymes to cut the genome into short fragments. The computer in this laboratory technique will assemble the generated short DNA fragments in a continuous sequence to identify overlapping regions.

Step-by-step solution

Genome within cell’s nucleus

The genetics and molecular biology field describe the genome as a single set of genes containing DNA within its structure. The genome provides genetic instructions to cells so that the fundamental unit of life can build, grow, and develop an organism.

The several functions associated with the genome are storage and expression of genetic information.

Bacteria producing restriction enzyme

The enzyme that identifies and then cleaves the specific site containing nitrogenous bases within the same nucleic acid (double-stranded DNA) sequence on each strand of DNA double helix is called restriction enzyme. The restriction enzyme is isolated from a living organism, such as bacterial cells.

Genome sequencing in the whole-genome shotgun approach

The laboratory method that isolates genomic DNA and then the fragmentation of genomic DNA carries through restriction endonucleases for genome sequencing is called the whole-genome shotgun approach.

The single-step processing is done by the shotgun approach to analyze the whole genome, which is randomly broken down and assembled through the computer at a single instance.