5.13

Describe how plasmids and viruses can act as vectors, which take up pieces of DNA, then insert this recombinant DNA into other cells

Plasmids:

·         Found in bacterial cells

·         Ring of DNA

·         Small and don’t carry many genes

Viruses:

•          A protein shell known as a capsid
•          Inside, there is nucleic acid- DNA or RNA

Human Chromosome is made of DNA and we will talk about a gene which codes for insulin (hormone controlling blood sugar levels) 

How to form the Recombinant DNA?

1.  .    Restriction enzyme is selected which cut the gene for insulin
2.  .    Then the plasmid will be cut with the same restriction enzyme
3.  .    The human insulin gene is inserted into the plasmid
4.        Then the ligase enzyme is applied to join the DNA
5.      This is now known as a recombinant DNA

After the recombinant DNA is formed:

•          Virus is used as a host cell
•          Nucleic acid is removed from the virus leaving us with an empty shell
•          The plasmids are inserted into the virus which will act as a vector
•          The virus infects bacterial cells and so is able to attach to the cell membrane of the bacteria and insert the Recombinant DNA
•          This will lead to a bacteria containing the recombinant DNA