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04-04-2001, 03:58 AM
gene cloning - recombination in genetics, regrouping of the maternal and paternal genes during the formation of gametes (sex cells). Recombination occurs randomly in nature as a normal event of meiosis, the process by which gametes are produced. Recombination is enhanced by the phenomenon of crossing over, in which gene sequences called linkage groups are disrupted, resulting in an exchange of segments between paired chromosomes that are undergoing separation. Thus, although a normal daughter cell produced in meiosis always receives half of the genetic material contained in the parent cell (i.e., is haploid), recombination acts to ensure constant variability: no two daughter cells are identical, nor are any identical in genetic content to the parent cell.
Laboratory study of recombination has contributed significantly to the understanding of genetic mechanisms, allowing scientists to map chromosomes, identify linkage groups, isolate the causes of certain genetic anomalies, and manipulate recombination itself by transplantation of genes from one chromosome to another. Because of its potential for creating new—and possibly pathogenic—organisms, experimental recombination is viewed by some scientists as both dangerous and unethical.
[img="http://a300.g.akamaitech.net/7/300/792/1999-02-15/www.britannica.com/eb/image?id=23183"]
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some info about DNA:
DNA is the carrier of genetic information; it achieves its effects by directing the synthesis of proteins. Most recombinant DNA technology involves the insertion of foreign genes into the plasmids of common laboratory strains of bacteria. Plasmids are small rings of DNA; they are not part of the bacterium's chromosome (the main repository of the organism's genetic information). Nonetheless, they are capable of directing protein synthesis, and, like chromosomal DNA, they are reproduced and passed on to the bacterium's progeny. Thus, by incorporating foreign DNA (for example, a mammalian gene) into a bacterium, researchers can obtain an almost limitless number of copies of the inserted gene. Furthermore, if the inserted gene is operative (i.e., if it directs protein synthesis), the modified bacterium will produce the protein specified by the foreign DNA.
Source:Encyclopædia Britannica
Laboratory study of recombination has contributed significantly to the understanding of genetic mechanisms, allowing scientists to map chromosomes, identify linkage groups, isolate the causes of certain genetic anomalies, and manipulate recombination itself by transplantation of genes from one chromosome to another. Because of its potential for creating new—and possibly pathogenic—organisms, experimental recombination is viewed by some scientists as both dangerous and unethical.
[img="http://a300.g.akamaitech.net/7/300/792/1999-02-15/www.britannica.com/eb/image?id=23183"]
*
some info about DNA:
DNA is the carrier of genetic information; it achieves its effects by directing the synthesis of proteins. Most recombinant DNA technology involves the insertion of foreign genes into the plasmids of common laboratory strains of bacteria. Plasmids are small rings of DNA; they are not part of the bacterium's chromosome (the main repository of the organism's genetic information). Nonetheless, they are capable of directing protein synthesis, and, like chromosomal DNA, they are reproduced and passed on to the bacterium's progeny. Thus, by incorporating foreign DNA (for example, a mammalian gene) into a bacterium, researchers can obtain an almost limitless number of copies of the inserted gene. Furthermore, if the inserted gene is operative (i.e., if it directs protein synthesis), the modified bacterium will produce the protein specified by the foreign DNA.
Source:Encyclopædia Britannica