What Does Recombinant DNA Mean?

Recombinant DNA is defined as hybrid DNA molecules consequential from the fusion of DNA from diverse sources. It is produced by splicing together segments of DNA from two or more organisms in a plasmid. Plasmids are molecules of DNA that are located in bacteria apart from the bacterial chromosome. It is made using restriction enzymes and DNA ligase. Recombinant DNA is also known as rDNA. It is created artificially in a laboratory. Producing a number of similar copies of the same recombinant molecule is known as cloning.
Recombinant DNA technique was discovered by Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer in the year 1973. It is used for genetic transformation. Some of the examples of recombinant DNA products are peptide hormone medications like insulin, growth hormone and oxytocin. Many vaccines are also produced with the help of recombinant DNA. Recombinant DNA technology was made possible after the search of restriction endonucleases by Werner Arber, Daniel Nathans and Hamilton Smith. They received a Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1978.