How Does Molecular Cloning Work?
Introduction to Cloning Molecular cloning is the process of making copies of a piece of genetic information for further analysis. This process is done by transferring a piece of DNA from an organism into a molecule that can reproduce copies of the transferred DNA. The molecule most often used to make copies of DNA in molecular cloning is a substance called a bacterial plasmid. Plasmids are independent forms of life that do not have to be in the host bacteria to generate DNA copies. Molecular cloning techniques are used frequently in the laboratory and have been in use since their discovery in the 1970s. DNA Isolation and Transfer Before the DNA being studied can be inserted into a plasmid it must first be isolated, separated form the rest of the DNA and broken into fragments. The first step in this process, the isolation of the section of DNA that will be replicated, is done using a variety of techniques, the most common of which is called polymerase chain reaction, or PCR. The PCR met
