Gene Cloning
The major breakthrough in the development of recombinant DNA technology was the ability to clone genes. This refers to the process of isolating a specific gene from an organism’s genome (the entire set of genetic information in an organism). In general terms, genes are usually clone by inserting fragments of a genome into a vector. A vector is an agent that can be used to move DNA segments from an organism to another. Plasmids, small circular double-stranded DNA molecules that are capable of replication within their host cell, are commonly used as vectors. Once a plasmid vector has been inserted into a cell, the cell that contains the desired gene can be located and separated from cells that contain other fragments of DNA.
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