Recombinant DNA Lab Analysis

In thus lab, we simulated the process of producing recombinant DNA and how enzymes are used to cut plasmids and genes. In this lab, we tested a multitude of enzymes to see weather they would cut twice in an insuling gene, and once in a the plasmid bacteria. The bacteria was resistant to the antibiotic kanamycin, so I would put the bacteria in kanamycin since the bacteria that had insulin also were resistant to kanamycin, so they could survive and you can mass produce them. I would not use the antibiotics tetracycline and amplicillin since they would kill all the bacteria and the ones with insulin would not survive. Restriction enzymes are enzymes that are able to cut out parts out of DNA. The one we used was Eco R1 since it cut the the human gene in two places close to the insulin gene and cut the plasmid in only one l place. If the restriction enzyme cut the bacteria in more than one place, then the lygase would not know where to attach the insulin gene to. This technology can be important in everyday lives since it can create products that people are unable to produce and provide them with a mass production of cures to diseases they may have. A real life example of recombinant DNA is that scientists have been able to produce plants that are resistant to freezing temperatures and to pesticides.