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How can one bacterial cell produce many copies of a recombinant DNA molecule?
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recombinant DNA
The process of DNA extraction is necessary to isolate molecules of DNA from cells or tissues. A series of steps, including the use of protease enzymes to strip proteins from the DNA, are required for isolating pure DNA that is suitable for use in later procedures, such as cloning or sequencing.
A bacterial cell produces many copies of a recombinant DNA molecule through a process known as DNA cloning. This is achieved by using a DNA vectorâmost commonly a plasmidâwhich acts as a carrier for the foreign DNA fragment.12
The process follows these key steps:
- Construction: A plasmid is cut with a restriction enzyme, and a foreign DNA fragment is spliced into it using DNA ligase to create a stable, circular recombinant DNA molecule.23
- Transformation: The recombinant molecule is introduced into a bacterial cell that has been treated to increase its permeability, a process called transformation.23
- Replication: Once inside, the recombinant DNA molecule replicates autonomously, independent of the bacterial chromosome.23
- Amplification: As the bacterial cell undergoes binary fission, the recombinant plasmid is duplicated and distributed to each daughter cell. Through successive rounds of cell division, the bacterial population grows, resulting in a large number of identical copies of the recombinant DNA molecule.34