Glossary · Sinh học
Genetic engineering
A process that uses laboratory-based technologies to alter the DNA makeup of an organism. The classic technique is recombinant DNA: a plasmid with foreign DNA inserted into it, so that the organism carries a desired trait.
NHGRI gives the broad definition: genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is a process that uses laboratory-based technologies to alter the DNA makeup of an organism.
OpenStax describes the classic technique in this family: altering an organism's genotype using recombinant DNA technology to achieve a desirable trait. A recombinant DNA molecule is a plasmid with foreign DNA inserted into it; they are called that because they are created artificially and do not occur in nature.
The foreign DNA is then introduced into the target organism, and if it works, the organism expresses the trait that stretch of DNA specifies. NHGRI notes that the field has changed over the years, from cloning for analysis and laboratory use to truly synthetic biology.