Video Transcript
What term is given to a DNA molecule formed from genetic material taken from two or
more different sources?
To answer this question, we need to remember the first steps of a laboratory
technique called DNA cloning. DNA cloning is a technique that allows us to clone, or make many copies of, a DNA
sequence or a gene of interest. On one hand, we need to isolate a DNA sequence of interest in an organism. It could be, for example, the gene coding insulin in a human cell. On the other hand, we need a vector, a DNA molecule that will be able to transport
our gene of interest so that it could be later cloned by replication in a
bacteria.
Typically, scientists use bacterial plasmids as DNA vectors. When they are prepared for cloning, the two DNA molecules from different sources are
cut with the same type of restriction enzyme. This creates sticky ends at the ends of these DNA molecules. Because the sticky end sequences are complementary and single stranded, they join by
base pairing. This is how our gene of interest is inserted in the plasmid. This process results in the formation of a recombinant DNA molecule, which is the
combination of DNA sequences from different sources. In our example, this recombinant DNA is made of DNA from the human genome and from a
bacteria.
Therefore, the term given to a DNA molecule formed from genetic material from two or
more different sources is “recombinant.”
