Read and Speak. Круглова М.В. - 90 стр.

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individuals in society and of the universe as a whole. Maybe one of the most

profound developments of the last decade is the discovery of recombinant DNA

technology, which allows scientists to introduce genetic material (or genes) from one

organism into another. In its simplest form, the technology requires the isolation of a

piece of DNA, either directly from the DNA of the organism under study, or

artificially synthesized from an RNA template, by using a viral enzyme called reverse

transcriptase. This piece of DNA is then ligated to a fragment of bacterial DNA,

which has the capacity to replicate itself independently. The recombinant molecule

thus produced can be introduced into the common intestinal bacterium Escherishchia

coli, which can be grown in very large amounts in synthetic media. Under proper

conditions, the foreign gene will not only replicate in the bacteria, but also express

itself, through the process of transcription and translation, to give rise to large

amounts of the specific protein coded by the foreign gene.

The technology has already been successfully applied to the production of several

therapeutically important biomolecules, such as insulin, interferon, and growth

hormones. Many other important applications are under detailed investigation in

laboratories throughout the world.

I. Give your impressions of:

1. the most prominent development of the last years; 2. the application of the new

technology.

II. Think and answer.

1. What does recombinant DNA technology consist of?

2. Where was recombination DNA technology used?