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How did Paul Berg create an early recombinant DNA molecule?

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DNA extraction and recombinant DNA technology — 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.

Paul Berg created the first artificial recombinant DNA molecule in the early 1970s by utilizing restriction enzymes, which had been discovered and characterized by researchers such as Werner Arber and Hamilton O. Smith.123

Berg’s process involved isolating DNA molecules from two different sources—specifically, he combined DNA from two different viruses—and using these enzymes to cut the molecules at specific, predictable sites. He then joined these distinct DNA segments together in a test tube to form a single, recombinant DNA molecule.423

While Berg performed this pioneering gene-splicing work, subsequent researchers Stanley N. Cohen and Herbert W. Boyer advanced the field by developing methods to insert these recombinant molecules into bacterial cells, allowing them to replicate and propagate.123