| Figure 1. |
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| Making a brain cDNA library. A mixture of brain mRNAs are transcribed to make cDNAs. Each cDNA is ligated into an opened plasmid, a circular piece of bacterial DNA engineered so it will accept cDNA. The plasmid is also engineered to contain regulatory elements so that the cDNA will be transcribed in appropriate cells (bacterial or human as required). The closed plasmids, each containing a cDNA, are then inserted into bacteria. When the bacteria grow and divide, they not only replicate their own DNA but also make copies of the plasmid with the cDNA. (From ref. 2) |
published 2000