Chapter 5 - Some Basic Tools: How to Isolate, Cut, Paste, Copy, Measure, Visualize, and Clone DNA

Abstract

This chapter opens with a simple overview of the processes used to clone a gene, and goes on to give a brief description of the history of molecular genetics and an example of a simple cloning experiment. This is followed by a look at the protocols for extracting DNA from insects, and for assessing the quality of the extracted DNA. The main body of the chapter covers the processes required for cloning, including DNA shearing, joining DNA molecules, use of plasmids and the creation of a genomic library. There then follows a section on complementary DNA (cDNA) cloning and the production and use of a cDNA library. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the use by entomologists of microarrays to evaluate gene expression and function.