Answer to Question #104792 in Genetics for Vidhi singh

Question

Explain the principal of recombinant DNA technology and list applications of genetic engineering technique.

Answer 1

Recombinant DNA technology is based on the modification of the DNA molecule associated with the insertion or deletion of certain functional DNA sequences. The technique is linked to the joining of two or more fragments of DNA from different species resulting in the production of a recombinant DNA molecule. The DNA molecule is further inserted into a certain host organism. The procedure is the basis for the genetic engineering approaches and results in the production of genetically modified organisms. For example, a coding DNA sequence of a target protein can be inserted into the expressing plasmid via ligation or recombination, while the produced recombinant plasmid can be inserted into bacteria. As a result, bacteria will express a target protein though naturally it is not encoded in the bacterial genome.

The applications of the genetic engineering technique comprise the production of hormones (insulin, growth hormone) and other proteins used for treatment of certain disorders, production of enzymes used in the food industry (i.e., chymosin), production of vaccines, genetic modification of plants (i.e., herbicide- and insect-resistant crops), etc.