When genetically engineering an organism, a plasmid
a. is the main chromosome of the bacteria that is cloned.
b. is cut with a restriction enzyme to accept the gene of interest.
c. helps screen for cells that did not take up the gene of interest.
d. combines with the gene of interest to make a replicating chromosome.
B or D?
According to
http://library.thinkquest.org/C004367/be9.shtml
it sounds like B.
Thank you!
The correct answer is B.
When genetically engineering an organism, a plasmid is cut with a restriction enzyme to accept the gene of interest.
To explain further, a plasmid is a small, circular piece of DNA found in bacteria that can be easily manipulated in the lab. In genetic engineering, plasmids are often used as vectors, which means they can carry and deliver a gene of interest into a host organism.
To insert the gene of interest into the plasmid, it needs to be cut open. This is done using restriction enzymes, which are molecular scissors that can recognize and cut specific DNA sequences. By cutting the plasmid with a restriction enzyme, a "sticky end" is created, which can then base-pair with the complementary sequence on the gene of interest.
Once the gene of interest is inserted into the plasmid, it can be introduced into a host organism, such as bacteria. The bacteria will take up the plasmid and start replicating it along with their own chromosomes. The gene of interest can then be expressed and produce a desired trait or protein.