Recombinant DNA, gene cloning and Plasmid

Artificially created DNA is known as recombinant DNA. During synthesis, DNA from two or more sources is used and are incorporated into a single recombinant molecule. BamHI endonuclease is treated with the DNA obtained from different sources. This endonuclease cuts ends of DNA molecules.  These sticky ends help in linking different molecules and thus form recombinant DNA. These recombinant molecules are then replicated to several times. This process is called cloning. There exist two processes of cloning- vitro and vivo. Vitro cloning is achieved by polymerase chain reaction. In vivo cloning, DNA is incorporated in a vector like bacterial cells, mammalian cells etc. Plasmid is an extra-chromosomal DNA molecule which is entirely different from chromosomal DNA. They usually occur in bacteria with circular shape or double-stranded shape. Plasmids are capable of replicating independently the chromosomal DNA.