3.3 Recombinant DNA technology

Recent advances in molecular biology paved the road to more advances in manipulating the gene. The most important advances were the development and application of what is known as recombinant DNA technology. This refers to the creation of a new combination of DNA segments or DNA molecules that are not found together naturally. The recombinant DNA technology enhances the understanding of gene organization, structure and expression. It was possible, to increase the amount of DNA encoding a specific gene by a process known as gene cloning.

Recombinant DNA technology uses techniques derived from the biochemistry of the nucleic acids. Among these techniques are the isolation of pure populations of specific DNA segments, the way to know the exact sequence of bases in the DNA, cutting the DNA at specific positions and identifications of a specific DNA segments using radioactive isotopes and many other techniques.