Introduction to modern molecular biology: fundamental concepts and techniques

Over the past 15 years, knowledge of the molecular pathophysiology of human disease has increased at a remarkable pace. Most of this progress can be attributed to concomitant advances in basic molecular biology and, specifically, the development of an ever-expanding aramentarium of technologies for analysis of gene structure and function referred to as recombinant DNA technology. In this article, we provide an introduction to this technology by describing the basic language, principles, and tools of molecular biology as well as a few of the most widely used recombinant DNA techniques. By necessity, this discussion does not encompass the huge body of available molecular methodologies, but the information provided here should provide a sufficient framework for appreciating how recombinant DNA has already impacted, and how it will most certainly reshape, the practice of medicine.