What technique uses an electrical pulse to introduce recombinant DNA into cells?

The technique that uses an electrical pulse to introduce recombinant DNA into cells is electroporation. This method involves applying an electrical field to a solution containing cells, which temporarily alters the permeability of the cell membrane. The electrical pulse creates small pores in the membrane, allowing the extracellular recombinant DNA to enter the cell more easily.

Electroporation is particularly useful for introducing plasmids, which are small circular DNA molecules, into bacterial, yeast, or even mammalian cells. This method is favored in genetic engineering and molecular biology because it can be a highly efficient method for transforming cells compared to others that rely on chemical methods or natural uptake mechanisms.

In contrast, transduction refers to the process of introducing DNA into cells via viruses, while gene cloning involves replicating DNA sequences but does not specifically pertain to the technique used for introducing DNA into cells. Artificial insemination is unrelated to genetic engineering and refers to a process used in reproductive biology to introduce sperm into the reproductive tract of a female.