Synthetic Gene Fragments in Genetic Engineering—The Renaissance of Chemistry in Molecular Biology

Chemistry and biology paved the way for a new scientific discipline, molecular genetics. The breathtaking progress in deciphering the genetic machinery of a living being within the last 20 years may be attributed mainly to the experimental skill and ingenuity of molecular biologists. Chemists lost interest in the investigation of biological problems. The advances in genetic engineering exemplify the new demands chemists are confronted with in contemporary science. Following a short introduction on the genetics of bacteria, the articles deals with the molecular basis of gene cloning, which is subdivided into in vitro recombination of nucleic acids and in vivo transformation of cells. Next, the criteria for the selection of passenger DNA, vectors, and host cells are discussed. Recombination and transformation are easy‐to‐learn experimental techniques, whereas the search for the positive clone requires detailed knowledge of microbiology and the ability to handle of a battery of modern biochemical techniques. Finally, the automated chemical synthesis of gene fragments serves to demonstrate that chemistry is starting to make its comeback into molecular biology.