Recombinant DNA Lab Analysis

In this lab, we simulated the process of producing recombinant DNA and how the enzymes were used to cut the plasmid and the DNA. There were many enzymes that we had to look through to see if the enzyme cut once in the plasmid and twice in the actual DNA. The way that we determined the plasmid was cutting out 4 strips and discarding two. The plasmid that we ended up with was resistant to tetracycline. We used this because the bacteria could survive and be produced. The other antibiotics that the plasmid were not resistant to, kanamycin and ampicillin, were not used to mass produce the bacteria. Restriction enzymes basically cut the DNA when it reads a specific sequence. We used the enzyme Hpa 2 because that enzyme could cut the DNA in two places, one above and the other below the insulin, and also the plasmid. If the plasmid was cut into two places, then the ligase could not reattach the base pairs because there are two so it could get confused. This is important because we could use this technology to make medicines or other things that could help humans in different aspects. This process is used to create fruits with delayed ripening so that it could have a longer life on the shelf of a store.