Chapter 26, Problem 11A

Summary Introduction

Introduction:

Plasmids are small circular pieces of DNA that replicate independently in host cell without disturbing host's chromosomal DNA. Generally, plasmid found in bacteria, but naturally, plasmid exists in archaea and eukaryotes such as yeast and plants. Naturally, plasmids provide functional benefits to the host cells such as resistance to antibiotics that carry advantageous for the survival of host cells. Usually, natural plasmids contain an origin of replication site, which participates to control the host range and copy number of the plasmids. Plasmids are extremely now become valuable tools in the fields of molecular biology and genetics, particularly in the area of genetic engineering for the development of recombinant protein.