8

CHAPTER

131

Recombinant

DNA Technology

Our genes are a strong determining factor of who we are and what we are going
to be because genes program our bodies to express specific characteristics. Some
of those characteristics enable us to carry out basic life functions, such as con-
verting food to energy, while others make us stand out in a crowd, such as being
a seven-foot professional basketball player. The same concept holds true with
microorganisms. A microorganism’s genes determine characteristics expressed
by that microorganism.
Genetic information is encoded in our DNA by the linkage of nucleic acids in
a specific sequence, which you learned about in the previous chapter. Think of
what would happen if you could change the sequence. You could reprogram
genes to express desirable characteristics and to repress undesirable characteris-
tics, such as those that cause diseases.
Reordering genetic information is called genetic engineering. In this chapter,
you’ll learn about genetic engineering and how to use recombinant DNA tech-
nology to alter the genetic program of an organism.

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