Recombinant DNA technology and its application to developmental biology.

The present state of knowledge strongly supports the view that development and differentiation is a function of variable gene activity. The crucial area of ignorance, however, is the mechanism that controls gene expression. The recent development of powerful experimental techniques in molecular biology, commonly referred to as recombinant DNA technology, now permits investigations toward understanding the mechanism(s) operant in regulation of gene activity. The technique basically involves the use of several recently discovered enzymes that facilitate cutting and joining DNA to construct recombinant molecules, which can be transferred from one organism to another. The information thus obtained on structure, organization, and expression of genes would help unravel the mysteries of mechanisms involved in fundamental life processes.