Plasmid Cloning Animation

Click here to go to an animation about plasmid cloning. I liked this video because it walks you through the various stages of DNA cloning alongside animations that really clarify the process. It begins with inserting target DNA into a vector, such as a plasmid. It then moves on to the various sites of vectors and how exogenous DNA can be inserted into the vector. I liked how the example used in the animation is the ampicillin-resistance gene, which we discussed in our bacterial transformation lab. The animation goes on to explain how restriction enzymes are used to cleave the vector at specific cloning sites and sticky ends are produced. A recombinant vector, or hybrid vector, is formed and is put into a host cell so that the genes can be cloned. The recombinant plasmid is amplified to produce many copies of it. The animation ends with the long-term effects of this kind of cloning, as multiple daughter cells are formed that have the same recombinant plasmid.