What does recombinant DNA technology involve?

• A. Transfer of fragments of DNA from one organism to another
• B. Synthesis of new proteins from amino acids
• C. Sequencing of entire genomes
• D. Transfer of whole chromosomes between species

Answer: (A)

Recombinant DNA technology is about taking DNA fragments from different sources and joining them to make a new DNA molecule that can be introduced into an organism. This combination of fragments from different origins is what enables scientists to study gene function, produce proteins, or create organisms with new properties. The key idea is mixing pieces of DNA from separate sources, rather than creating proteins directly from scratch, sequencing entire genomes, or moving whole chromosomes.

Proteins are made by translating existing genetic information, not by recombining DNA pieces itself. Sequencing genomes is about reading the order of nucleotides, not creating recombinant DNA. Transferring whole chromosomes goes beyond typical recombinant DNA techniques, which usually involve smaller DNA fragments and vectors.