PCR vs. Recombinant DNA (1 Viewer)

[Bdogz]

I really can't see why there is a need for Recombinant DNA when scientists can jsut use PCR to make multiple copies of the gene they want. Can anyone discuss this please?
Like i know Recombinant DNA is used to produce transgenic species but with reference to producing insulin which do scientists use, PCR or Recom?

 

[katie tully]

Scientists use recombinant DNA to produce insulin.

Have a read of this
http://www.accessexcelle nce.org/RC/VL/GG/transfer_and.php

PCR and recombinant therapies are really quite different.

Some more reading material

http://www.life.illi nois.edu/bio100/lectures/f06lects/18f06clonerecopcr.html

Scroll down to find the limitations of PCR here

http://biology.kenyon.edu/c ourses/biol114/Chap08/Chapter_08a.html

 

[Enzym3]

In practical ab work the two techniques fulfil two related but different roles, remember that Recombinant DNA technology is a lot older so many of the things that we used to do with recombinant DNA we now do with PCR based approaches.

However, recombinant DNA is still useful for a number of reasons the most important one is that recombinant DNA can be expressed by cells (either by bacteria cells that uptake a plasmid) or by other cells if recombinant DNA is used as part of a gene therapy/ genetic engineering protocol.
On the other hand PCR is hands down the most widely used method of generating a large number of copies of a particular DNA sequence (you need to know something about the sequence first to create primers) and is mainly used when you want to study the DNA itself rather than obtaining the polypeptide product.