Question

Plasmids are important in biotechnology because they are

a.a vehicle for the insertion of foreign genes into bacteria.
b.recognition sites on recombinant DNA strands.
c.surfaces for protein synthesis in eukaryotic recombinants.
d.surfaces for respiratory processes in bacteria.
e.proviruses incorporated into the host DNA.

Answer 1

Plasmids serve as vectors in biotechnology to insert foreign DNA into bacteria, with restriction endonucleases and DNA ligase playing critical roles in forming recombinant DNA for gene cloning.

Step-by-step explanation:

Plasmids are crucial tools in biotechnology for their role as vectors to introduce foreign DNA into bacteria. When a plasmid is engineered to carry foreign genes, it is referred to as a recombinant DNA molecule. This process involves the use of restriction endonucleases to cut both the plasmid DNA and the foreign DNA at specific sequences, resulting in sticky ends that are capable of annealing with each other. Once annealed, the enzyme DNA ligase is used to permanently join the DNA fragments, forming a stable recombinant DNA molecule that can be introduced into bacterial cells for gene cloning and the production of recombinant proteins. Plasmids have also been instrumental in studying gene function and protein expression in bacterial systems.