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There are several types of cloning, including what is known as molecular cloning. Molecular cloning occurs when scientists reproduce or copy the DNA that exists in a cell. There are many reasons why this process is necessary or important, but basically scientists can use molecular cloning to study the proteins in our cells. Learning the function of each protein and discovering what happens when you change a protein is instrumental in the process of developing cures for many diseases as well as recognizing the cause of different medical conditions.
Molecular cloning begins with isolating the DNA within the cell that houses the gene you wish to recreate. In order to accomplish this, you will need both a host and a cloning vector. This is a small piece of DNA into which you can place a fragment of another piece of DNA. These vectors are called recombinant DNA and are generally taken from plasmids and viruses.
After you have isolated your DNA, it will need to be purified and then fragmented. This is done using what is known as a restriction enzyme. What these restriction enzymes do is generate staggered cuts in precise sequences, and these in turn will produce fragments with endings that are cohesive.
Once these fragments have been created, they are placed into the cloning vectors, which are the structures inside of our cells that can reproduce independently. In molecular cloning, the plasmids that are used have only one restriction site. When this site is split into fragments with a restriction enzyme, then those all-important cohesive endings have been created. Amazingly, these ends are identical to the initial DNA fragments.
Now that these new fragments have been created, they will line up exactly with the plasmid, and an enzyme known as DNA ligase will be used to form a bond. After the bond has been created, the plasmids can be introduced into the host cell. At this point, the vector will reproduce and create identical copies of the DNA and gene that have been altered. The cell begins to divide, and each division includes the new gene, eventually creating a cluster of cells with the new information.
This is a highly specialized and complicated process, and many scientists studying molecular biology will have a biotechnology company produce the gene clones and recombinant proteins for them, as well as having the firm perform site-directed mutagenesis. All of these services can help make it easier for scientists to study proteins, peptides and amino acids within our cells.
Molecular cloning begins with isolating the DNA within the cell that houses the gene you wish to recreate. In order to accomplish this, you will need both a host and a cloning vector. This is a small piece of DNA into which you can place a fragment of another piece of DNA. These vectors are called recombinant DNA and are generally taken from plasmids and viruses.
After you have isolated your DNA, it will need to be purified and then fragmented. This is done using what is known as a restriction enzyme. What these restriction enzymes do is generate staggered cuts in precise sequences, and these in turn will produce fragments with endings that are cohesive.
Once these fragments have been created, they are placed into the cloning vectors, which are the structures inside of our cells that can reproduce independently. In molecular cloning, the plasmids that are used have only one restriction site. When this site is split into fragments with a restriction enzyme, then those all-important cohesive endings have been created. Amazingly, these ends are identical to the initial DNA fragments.
Now that these new fragments have been created, they will line up exactly with the plasmid, and an enzyme known as DNA ligase will be used to form a bond. After the bond has been created, the plasmids can be introduced into the host cell. At this point, the vector will reproduce and create identical copies of the DNA and gene that have been altered. The cell begins to divide, and each division includes the new gene, eventually creating a cluster of cells with the new information.
This is a highly specialized and complicated process, and many scientists studying molecular biology will have a biotechnology company produce the gene clones and recombinant proteins for them, as well as having the firm perform site-directed mutagenesis. All of these services can help make it easier for scientists to study proteins, peptides and amino acids within our cells.
About the Author:
Armand Zeiders loves writing about biomedical research. For more details regarding custom monoclonal antibody services, please visit the PrimmBiotech.com site today.
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