Definition of Bacterial Artificial Chromosome



This type of chromosome is actually a molecule of DNA which is engineered and is used in the cloning of the DNA in the bacterial cells like Escherichia coli. These chromosomes are often employed when the sequencing of the DNA is done. About 100 to 300 kilobase pairs of the organism’s DNA can be introduced into the bacterial artificial chromosomes.

 


These chromosomes are then taken up the cells of the bacteria which when grow and divide, amplify the DNA of the bacterial artificial chromosome and this is isolated and employed in the DNA mapping and sequencing. The size of BACs is much smaller than that of the normal chromosomes.

 

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