Editing Genetics (section)

=== Research methods ===

[[File:Ecoli colonies.png|thumb|right|upright=0.8|[[Colony (biology)|Colonies]] of ''[[Escherichia coli|E. coli]]'' produced by [[Cloning#Unicellular organisms|cellular cloning]]. A similar methodology is often used in [[molecular cloning]].]]

DNA can be manipulated in the laboratory. [[Restriction enzymes]] are commonly used enzymes that cut DNA at specific sequences, producing predictable fragments of DNA.<ref>Lodish et al. (2000), [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=mcb.section.1582 Chapter 7: 7.1. DNA Cloning with Plasmid Vectors] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527183555/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=mcb.section.1582 |date=27 May 2009 }}</ref> DNA fragments can be visualized through use of [[gel electrophoresis]], which separates fragments according to their length.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Timms |first1=John F. |last2=Cramer |first2=Rainer |date=December 2008 |title=Difference gel electrophoresis |url=https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pmic.200800298 |journal=Proteomics |language=en |volume=8 |issue=23–24 |pages=4886–4897 |doi=10.1002/pmic.200800298 |pmid=19003860 |issn=1615-9853|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The use of [[DNA ligase|ligation enzymes]] allows DNA fragments to be connected. By binding ("ligating") fragments of DNA together from different sources, researchers can create [[recombinant DNA]], the DNA often associated with [[genetically modified organism]]s. Recombinant DNA is commonly used in the context of [[plasmid]]s: short circular DNA molecules with a few genes on them. In the process known as [[molecular cloning]], researchers can amplify the DNA fragments by inserting plasmids into bacteria and then culturing them on plates of agar (to isolate [[Cloning#Unicellular organisms|clones of bacteria cells]]). "Cloning" can also refer to the various means of creating cloned ("clonal") organisms.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Keefer CL | title = Artificial cloning of domestic animals | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 112 | issue = 29 | pages = 8874–8878 | date = July 2015 | pmid = 26195770 | pmc = 4517265 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.1501718112 | bibcode = 2015PNAS..112.8874K | doi-access = free }}</ref>

DNA can also be amplified using a procedure called the [[polymerase chain reaction]] (PCR).<ref>Lodish et al. (2000), [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?highlight=PCR&rid=mcb.section.1718 Chapter 7: 7.7. Polymerase Chain Reaction: An Alternative to Cloning]</ref> By using specific short sequences of DNA, PCR can isolate and exponentially amplify a targeted region of DNA. Because it can amplify from extremely small amounts of DNA, PCR is also often used to detect the presence of specific DNA sequences.<ref name="Chang_2017">{{cite journal |last1=Chang |first1=Dingran |last2=Tram |first2=Kha |last3=Li |first3=Ben |last4=Feng |first4=Qian |last5=Shen |first5=Zhifa |last6=Lee |first6=Christine H. |last7=Salena |first7=Bruno J. |last8=Li |first8=Yingfu  |date=2017-06-08 |title=Detection of DNA Amplicons of Polymerase Chain Reaction Using Litmus Test |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=7 |issue=3110 |page=3110 |doi=10.1038/s41598-017-03009-z |pmid=28596600 |pmc=5465217 |bibcode=2017NatSR...7.3110C }}</ref><ref name="Garibyan_2013">{{cite journal |last1=Garibyan |first1=Lilit |last2=Nidhi |date=March 2013 |title=Polymerase Chain Reaction |url=https://www.jidonline.org/article/S0022-202X(15)36139-X/fulltext |journal=Journal of Investigative Dermatology |volume=133 |issue=3 |pages=1–4 |doi=10.1038/jid.2013.1 |pmid=23399825 |access-date=2024-02-27|pmc=4102308 }}</ref>