Gene Splicing

Advances in understanding the mechanisms that describe how gene splicing occurs has lead to the ability of scientists to cut and anneal nucleotide sequences, also called recombinant DNA technology. Since splice literally means the joining of separate ends, gene splicing refers to the joining of almost any nucleotide sequences to create a new gene product or to introduce a new gene sequence. Hence, just about any genetic sequence could be spliced into another sequence.

Certain enzymes called restriction enzymes (REs) are used in laboratories to splice, connect (or ligate), and remove or add nucleotides to sequences. REs are used in recombinant DNA technology to remove and insert genetic sequences from and into other sequences. This technology has enabled some biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to manufacture large quantities of essential proteins for medical and research purposes. For example, a human insulin protein can be made in great supply by inserting the insulin gene into the genome of bacteria, for example, in order to produce large amounts of the protein. Like a photocopy machine, such sequences can produce lots of insulin for diabetics who are not able to make enough insulin on their own. These patients can then self-inject the purified insulin to treat their disease.