AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Researchers can insert DNA fragments or genes into a plasmid vector, creating a so-called recombinant plasmid. This plasmid can be introduced into a bacterium by way of the process called transformation. Then, because bacteria divide rapidly, they can be used as factories to copy DNA fragments in large quantities.

Detailed explanation-2: -Recombinant DNA technology involves using enzymes and various laboratory techniques to manipulate and isolate DNA segments of interest. This method can be used to combine (or splice) DNA from different species or to create genes with new functions. The resulting copies are often referred to as recombinant DNA.

Detailed explanation-3: -Today, the E. coli bacteriophage is one of the most widely used vectors used to carry recombinant DNA into bacterial cells. This virus makes an excellent vector because about one-third of its genome is considered nonessential, meaning that it can be removed and replaced by foreign DNA (i.e., the DNA being inserted).

Detailed explanation-4: -After insertion of the foreign DNA, the plasmid or phage vector is re-introduced into a bacterial cell. The growing bacterial culture replicates the foreign DNA, along with the vector, in hundreds of copies per cell. This process yields multiple, identical clones of the original recombinant molecule.

Detailed explanation-5: -The most commonly used vectors are plasmids (circular DNA molecules that originated from bacteria), viruses, and yeast cells. Plasmids are not a part of the main cellular genome, but they can carry genes that provide the host cell with useful properties, such as drug resistance, mating ability, and toxin production.