ABSTRACT
This chapter describes recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology. It explains the significance of rDNA technology, the steps involved in making rDNA products, the role of restriction enzymes in rDNA technology and the significance of vectors and their characteristics. The chapter discusses applications of rDNA technology. The making of rDNA is a multistep process, which includes isolation and insertion of the gene of interest in a specific vector. The first step in transformation is to select a piece of DNA to be inserted into a vector. The next step is to cut that DNA with a restriction enzyme and then ligate the DNA insert into the vector with DNA ligase. The insert contains a selectable marker that allows for identification of recombinant molecules. Restriction enzymes are categorized into three general groups based on their composition and enzyme cofactor requirements, the nature of their target sequence, and the position of their DNA cleavage site relative to the target sequence.
