BigDyeTerminatoren

BigDyeTerminators are a type of DNA sequencing enzyme produced by Invitrogen. They are used in the dideoxy chain termination reaction, a method of DNA sequencing. BigDye is a brand of fluorescent dyes used in this process.

The reaction involves the addition of a small amount of terminator nucleotides to the DNA molecule during sequencing. The terminators block further DNA synthesis when they are incorporated into the growing DNA chain, resulting in fragment lengths that are proportional to the distance from the sequencing primer. The length of the fragments correlates with the position of the nucleotide in the sequence.

BigDyeTerminators are available in different sizes, depending on the chain length they terminate. The sizes can vary from 50 to 700 base lengths. The enzymes are designed to specifically recognize and incorporate the terminator nucleotides at distinct positions within the DNA chain, allowing for precise determination of the sequence.

The BigDyeTerminators rely on the 3' to 5' exonuclease activity of the enzyme to recognize and incorporate the terminator nucleotides. This activity is highly specific, reducing the likelihood of misincorporation of non-terminator nucleotides. As a result, BigDyeTerminalors provide reliable and accurate results in DNA sequencing experiments.