What is the Difference Between Cloning and Subcloning?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between cloning and subcloning lies in their purposes and procedures in molecular biology:
Cloning:
- Involves the insertion of an interested gene or DNA into a vector, replication of it within a host bacterium, and production of cells or organisms that are exact copies of the genetic makeup.
- Creates genetically identical cells or organisms with the inserted gene or DNA of interest.
- Does not move inserts (DNA of interest) from one vector to another vector.
Subcloning:
- Involves the transfer of a gene of interest, which is already inserted into a vector, into a secondary vector.
- Used to isolate one gene from a cloned group of genes or when studying the gene sequence of interest.
- Moves inserts from the parent vector to the destination vector.
Both cloning and subcloning share similar steps, such as restriction digestion and PCR, but they serve different purposes in molecular biology. Cloning is used to create multiple copies of a DNA fragment, while subcloning is used to manipulate and transfer DNA inserts between different vectors for further study or analysis.
Comparative Table: Cloning vs Subcloning
Cloning and subcloning are molecular biological techniques used to manipulate genomes and create genetically identical cells or organisms. Here is a table highlighting the differences between cloning and subcloning:
| Feature | Cloning | Subcloning |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Production of clones of organisms or copies of cells or DNA fragments | Moving a gene of interest from one vector to another vector |
| Process | Separate the DNA of interest from the organism and insert it into a vector once | Already cloned DNA fragment (gene of interest) is inserted into a vector and transformed into a host |
| Type of Vectors | Primary cDNA or gene | Secondary vector |
| Restriction Enzyme Sites | Parent vector and destination vector have different restriction sites | Parent vector and destination vector have the same restriction sites |
Cloning involves inserting the gene of interest or DNA into a vector, replicating it within a host bacterium, and producing cells or organisms that are exact copies of the genetic makeup. Subcloning, on the other hand, involves moving an already cloned DNA fragment (gene of interest) from one vector to another vector. This process is often used to isolate one gene from a group of cloned genes or when the desired gene is not properly expressed in the original vector.
- Hybridization vs Cloning
- Twins vs Clones
- Clone vs Strain
- Genetic Engineering vs Cloning
- Clone vs Asexual Reproduction
- Therapeutic Cloning vs Reproductive Cloning
- Gene Amplification vs Gene Cloning
- Copy vs Duplicate
- Gene Cloning vs PCR
- Clone by Clone Sequencing vs Shotgun Sequencing
- Duplication vs Replication
- Culture vs Subculture
- Cloning Vector vs Expression Vector
- Superclass vs Subclass
- CD Duplication vs Replication
- Anagenesis vs Cladogenesis
- Relative Clause vs Subordinate Clause
- Genocopy vs Phenocopy
- Branch vs Subsidiary