Genetic Engineering Uses
- Curing Diseases, Treat Genetic Disorders, Improve Food Crops
- Found in the immune systems of bacteria
- Over 1500 restriction enzymes identified so far
- Each restriction enzyme cuts DNA at a specific point- Ex: EcoRI cuts DNA at CTTAA-G
- Restriction enzymes cut each strand of DNA molecule, one from left to right, and the other from right to left
- Once finished, they leave sticky ends
- Cloning Vectors- a carrier that is used to clone a gene and transfer it from one organism to another
- Most common cloning vector is plasmid, a ring of DNA from Bacteria
- Plasmid is cut with the same restriction enzyme as donor organism, leaving the same sticky ends
- Donor gene is spliced into the plasmid, making recombinant DNA
- The plasmid is returned to the bacterium, now a transgenic organism, where it is replicated with other DNA, making clones of the donor gene