Question

How does a plasmid work as a cloning vector?

Answer 1

Plasmid as a cloning vector:

1. Plasmids are extracellular genetic material.
2. They are circular DNA (deoxyribonucleic acids).
3. They contain cloning sites for the DNA of interest to be inserted.
4. The specific sites for restriction enzymes that cut the DNA at a specific location at the specific sites.
5. They also have an origin of replication to check the replication of the gene of interest.
6. A selectable marker can be used to recognize the transformants from the non-transformed molecule.
7. They have a copy number, meaning more plasmids can be maintained in a single cell.