Re: DNA pieces into a cell - what are the chances

Hi Frank,

You described the outline of a plant transformation technique, called particle bombardment. Nicknamed the Shotgun or Gene Gun Method, a pressure gun shoots tungsten or gold bullets coated with small pieces of DNA into plant cells.This technique is now commonly used in biotechnology. The transformation efficiency is still being improved, as scientists search for controlling factors leading to the stable integration of these DNA fragments. One note about the DNA fragments - it is not just a long link of DNA cut up into pieces. The DNA used in this technique contains a gene of interest.

You can read more about particle bombardment by following these links:
http://photoscience.la.asu.edu/photosyn/courses/BIO_343/lecture/geneng.html
http://silver-server.dur.ac.uk/Teaching/Plant_Genetic_Engineering/3_Particle_Bombardment /index.htm
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/pubs/press/1999/genegun.html