5.13 understand how plasmids and viruses can act as vectors, which take up pieces of DNA, and then insert this recombinant DNA into other cells

Vectors: material used to deliver recombinant DNA into a target cell. It is used to insert DNA into other organisms.
2 types of vectors: Plasmids and viruses.

Plasmids:
- the same restriction enzyme is used to cut out gene of interest from DNA, and to cut open plasmid vector to leave sticky ends on both.
- the two sticky ends overlap via complementary base pairing, and are joined together by ligase enzyme.
- recombinant DNA is formed and inserted to a bacterial cell.
- the bacteria will pass the recombinant DNA on to other bacteria when it reproduces.

Virus:
- the same restriction enzyme used to cut gene from DNA is used to cut open plasmid DNA of a bacteria
- ligase enzyme joins the sticky ends together and forms a recombinant DNA
- the recombinant DNA is inserted into a virus
- the virus will pass the recombinant DNA into the host cell that it infects