The goal of gene cloning is to get a single copy of the gene from an animal and into an archive. The rest is just the individual steps necessary to do this. Cloning genes allows us to easily and consistently retrieve the exact same copy and to share it between labs or even organisms.

Step		Description	Biology Jargon
1		Get a copy of the gene from the animal	PCR
2		Put the gene in an archival format	Ligation into a plasmid
3		Make backup copies or archive it	Bacterial transformation
4		Confirm that the copies match the original	Sequence the insert
5		Retrieve a copy to use	Miniprep

What is a vector and what how is it used?

A vector is a small, self contained piece of DNA that can be added to an organism, typically bacteria. It is how we archive the gene we are cloning.

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