Personal reflections on the origins and emergence of recombinant DNA technology

Abstract

The emergence of recombinant DNA technology occurred via the appropriation of known tools and procedures in novel ways that had broad applications for analyzing and modifying gene structure and organization of complex genomes. Although revolutionary in their impact, the tools and procedures per se were not revolutionary. Rather, the novel ways in which they were applied was what transformed biology.

Figure 1.—

“Steps in the creation of transducing genomes (digestion with λ exonuclease not shown),” the procedure originally proposed by Lobban for inserting “foreign DNA” into the left and right arms of phage λ DNA in vitro. Reproduced from Figure 3 of Lobban (1969).

Figure 2.—

Method used by Jackson et al. (1972) for constructing SV40-λdvgal 120 recombinant DNA in vitro.