A recombinant DNA molecule was created by ligating a gene to a plasmid vector. By mistake, an exonuclease was added to the tube containing the recombinant DNA. How does this affect the next step in the experiment, i.e. bacterial transformation?
When a DNA molecule is created by ligating a gene to a plasmid vector, it becomes a circular DNA which is ready to replicate in the host organism. Addition of exonuclease is not going to affect the process after this stage because the DNA does not have a free end, and hence enzyme exonuclease will not get a substrate to show its action. Therefore, in this experiment, bacterial transformation is not going to be disturbed.