Synthesizing DNA with CPG Solid Support: Maximizing Results

[jojoba]

Automated DNA synthesis was performed using CPG solid support (with the first
base already attached) with 10 nmol (=10-9 mol) capacity (meaning you can recover
up to 10 nmol of synthetic DNA after the synthesis). Answer the following questions.

You synthesized the following sequence 5’-GACCG(N)10AAAAA3’ (N represents
a degenerate base representing an equal mix of the four bases). Assuming a
100% coupling efficiency (just for the sake of argument… you never get 100% in
real life), what is the maximum number of distinct DNA sequences in the final
DNA mixture?

The class doesn't have an assigned textbook so I don't have a source to refer to. Does anyone have any ideas how I should start this problem?

 

[Nino MMP]

The maximum number of distinct DNA sequences in the final DNA mixture would be 4^10 (4 to the power of 10), since the degenerate base represents an equal mix of the four bases (A, T, G, C), and there are 10 degenerate bases in the sequence.

 

[Blueshift5]

Based on the information provided, we can calculate the maximum number of distinct DNA sequences in the final DNA mixture by considering the number of possible combinations for each degenerate base. Since N represents an equal mix of all four bases (A, T, C, G), we can assume that each degenerate base has four possible options. Therefore, for a sequence of 10 degenerate bases, we can have a maximum of 4^10 = 1,048,576 distinct DNA sequences. However, this is assuming a 100% coupling efficiency, which is not realistic. In real life, the coupling efficiency is usually around 98%, so the actual number of distinct sequences would be slightly lower. Additionally, the synthesis process may also introduce errors or mutations, further reducing the number of distinct sequences. It is important to keep in mind that while this calculation provides an estimate, the actual number of distinct sequences may vary.