Biology DNA Technology (Sanger Sequencing)

I'm not sure if i'm being stupid, but my Biology textbook says that to do Sanger Sequencing, you need to add primers to the mixture of DNA. If you don't know the base sequence of the DNA (the whole point of doing Sanger Sequencing), then how can you add primers, because they are specific, and you don't know the DNA sequence yet?

Reply 1

TSR Jessica

Sorry you've not had any responses about this. :frown:

Are you sure you’ve posted in the right place? Posting in the specific Study Help forum should help get responses. :redface:

I'm going to quote in Puddles the Monkey now so she can move your thread to the right place if it's needed. :h:

Spoiler

Reply 2

earthworm

Ok I do this for a job :smile:

you can use random primers that will bind somewhere, get that sequence then 'primer walk' by making new primers based on the sequence you have just generated. Most of the time you can make a specific primer based on the reference genome. Sanger is old hat now anyway illumina and ion torrent allow a whole genome in a day :smile:

Reply 3

Leo_4_Ma

thanks!