Today's scientists can insert genes of one organism into the DNA of another organism. This technique, gene splicing, is used in research on human DNA to produce large quantities of human growth hormone, a protein. In gene splicing, a plasmid, a small piece of circular DNA in a bacterial cell, is opened with a restriction enzyme. Restriction enzymes cut strands of DNA at particular base sequences. Once the plasmid is open, the human gene that codes for the production of human growth hormone is inserted. The plasmid with its new gene is described as recombinant DNA. The recombinant plasmid is inserted into a bacterium. As the bacterium grows and divides, it and its descendants produce human growth hormone. This activity will simulate that process.
Iowa Common Core Standards: MS-LS1-5, MS-LS4-5, HS-LS1-1