Question

Which of the following is/are used in recombinant DNA technology
 A) Agarose gel
B) Ethidium bromide
C) Plasmid vector
D) Restriction endonuclease
a) A,B
b) B,C
c) C, D
d) A,B,C,D

Answer 1

Hint: Manipulation with the genetic material of organisms or the process of altering the DNA in an organism’s genome is called recombinant DNA technology. DNA is extracted from another organism’s genome and combined with the DNA of that individual. So genetic engineering is used by scientists to amplify and modify the characteristics of an individual organism.
Complete step-by-step answer:
Agarose gel is the main component for preparing the gel for gel electrophoresis. It is also used to amplify DNA by polymerase chain reaction, it is also used for culture media preparation to grow microbes of our choice. Nowadays most commonly used matrix for gel electrophoresis is agarose which is a natural polymer extracted from seaweeds. The DNA fragments separate according to their size through the sieving effect provided by the agarose gel. So agarose is also used in recombinant DNA technology.
Ethidium bromide is used as a chelating agent. In gel electrophoresis, the separated DNA bands can be visualized only after staining the DNA with a compound known as ethidium bromide followed by exposure to UV radiation. So ethidium bromide is also used in recombinant DNA technology.
Plasmid vectors act as a mediator which helps in the transfer of genes in the host organism. They are used in the formation of transgenic animals. Plasmid vectors are the vehicles used to drive recombinant DNA into a host cell and are a key component of molecular cloning.
Restriction enzymes help in cutting and nicking DNA. Restriction enzymes are of two types restriction endonucleases and exonucleases. Exonucleases remove nucleotides from the ends of DNA whereas exonucleases make cuts at specific positions within the DNA. So restriction enzymes are also used in recombinant DNA technology.

Therefore the correct answer is Option D.
Note: Recombinant DNA technology has also proven important to the production of vaccines and protein therapies such as human insulin, interferon, and human growth hormone. It is also used in the production of clotting factors for treating haemophilia and in the development of gene therapy.