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How does recombinant DNA technology combine genetic material from different sources?
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genetic engineering
The generation of vaccines relies heavily on techniques in genetic engineering.
Recombinant DNA technology combines genetic material from different sources by using specialized enzymes to cut and join DNA fragments, creating molecules that do not occur naturally.12
The process relies on two primary types of enzymes:
- Restriction enzymes: Often called "molecular scissors," these proteins are used to cut both the donor DNA and a vector (such as a plasmid) at specific target sequences. Many of these enzymes create "staggered cuts," leaving single-stranded overhangs known as sticky ends. Because these overhangs have complementary nucleotide sequences, they naturally pair with one another when the donor fragment and the cut vector are mixed.32
- DNA ligase: While the complementary ends of the DNA fragments may pair spontaneously, the sugar-phosphate backbone remains unsealed. The enzyme ligase is then applied to catalyze the formation of a stable bond, effectively sealing the two segments into a continuous, recombinant double helix.24
Once formed, these recombinant molecules can be introduced into living cells—a process called transformation—where they are replicated and amplified as the cells divide.2