The correct option is
C Restriction endonucleases
Recombinant DNA technology allows the insertion of a piece of DNA into the host DNA and hence it has made it possible to genetically engineer living organisms. In this method, the recombinant DNA is transferred to a host cell to generate the desired character.
Plasmids are the extra chromosomal, circular, double stranded genetic material present in the cell. They are used as vectors in recombinant DNA technology (RDT), to carry the DNA of interest to host cells. The use of plasmids in RDT took place only after the discovery of restriction endonucleases.
Restriction endonucleases are the enzymes which cleave the DNA by digesting phosphodiester bonds at the specific sequences within the DNA. Examples include EcoR I.
Importance of REN in RDT is as follows:
- The discovery of restriction endonucleases in the 1960s helped in the making of the first artificial recombinant DNA in the year 1972 by Cohen and Boyer.
- These enzymes catalyze the cleavage of DNA and thus helps in isolating the gene of interest.
- It also helps in creating the sticky ends in vectors and DNA of interest for the formation of rDNA.
Complementary DNA or cDNA is a DNA copy of a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule produced by reverse transcriptase enzyme.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique used for the in vitro amplification of the DNA fragments or gene of interest to create multiple copies. It can create up to 1 billion copies. This technique was invented by Karry Mullis in the 1980s.
Hence the correct option is
b. Restriction endonucleases