Introduction to Recombinant DNA Technology: Recombinant DNA technology has revolutionised life sciences, opening new vistas for research in molecular biology. It allows genetic manipulation using techniques for synthesizing, amplifying and purifying individual genes from any type of cell. Genomics has emerged as an extension of recombinant DNA technology for high resolution mapping and characterization of whole genomes and gene products [...]
In this article we will discuss about the applications of PCR. i. Detection of mutations: PCR is useful for detection of mutations related to genetic disease including point mutations, insertions and deletions. A notable example is that of the human dystrophin gene associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The large-sized dystrophin gene consists of about two million base pairs located on [...]
Cloned genes can be introduced into knockout mice by means of embryonal stem cells (ES cells). Embryonal cells have attracted tremendous attention in recent years, hence a brief introduction on ES cells is warranted. The concept of ES cells arose through studies on mouse and human teratocarcinomas. These tumours were found to contain cells, called embryonal carcinoma cells, the stem [...]