4E - Recombination and Transformation

Plasmid

a small, circular loop of DNA separate from the chromosome, typically found in bacteria

Recombinant Plasmid

a circular DNA vector that is ligated to incorporate a gene of interest

Bacterial Transformation

the process by which bacteria take up foreign DNA from their environment. Scientists use this process to introduce recombinant plasmids into bacteria

Genetic Modification

the manipulation of an organism’s genetic material using biotechnology

Insulin

a hormone secreted by the pancreas to control blood glucose levels

Diabetes

 a disease where the body cannot properly produce or respond to insulin

Gene of Interest

a gene scientists want to be expressed in recombinant bacteria. This gene often encodes a protein we wish to produce in commercial quantities. Also known as the desired gene

Restriction Endonuclease

any enzyme that acts like molecular scissors to cut nucleic acid strands at specific recognition sites. Also known as a restriction enzyme

Ligase

an enzyme that joins molecules, including DNA or RNA, together by catalysing the formation of phosphodiester bonds

Vector

a means of introducing foreign DNA into an organism. Plasmids are a popular vector in bacterial transformation

Plasmid Vector

a piece of circular DNA that is modified to be an ideal vector for bacterial transformation experiments

Antibiotic Resistance Gene

gene which confers antibiotic resistance

Origin of Replication (ORI)

 a sequence found in prokaryotes that signals the start site of DNA replication

Reporter Gene

gene with an easily identifiable phenotype that can be used to identify whether a plasmid has taken up the gene of interest

Heat Shock

a method that involves rapidly increasing and decreasing the temperature to increase membrane permeability in order to enhance the likelihood of bacterial transformation

Electroporation

a method that involves delivering an electric shock to bacterial membranes to increase their membrane permeability and increase the likelihood of bacterial transformation

Fusion Protein

a protein made when separate genes have been joined and are transcribed and translated together