Gene manipulation involves the creation
and cloning of recombinant DNA
The definition of recombinant DNA is any artificially
created DNA molecule which brings together DNA
sequences that are not usually found together in
nature. Gene manipulation refers to any of a variety of
sophisticated techniques for the creation of recombinant DNA and, in many cases, its subsequent introduction into living cells. In the developed world there
is a precise legal definition of gene manipulation as a
result of government legislation to control it. In the
UK, for example, gene manipulation is defined as:
“. . . the formation of new combinations of heritable
material by the insertion of nucleic acid molecules,
produced by whatever means outside the cell, into
any virus, bacterial plasmid or other vector system
so as to allow their incorporation into a host organism in which they do not naturally occur but in
which they are capable of continued propagation.”
The propagation of recombinant DNA inside a particular host cell so that many copies of the same
sequence are produced is known as cloning.