What are the molecular processes involved in genetic modification? State which organisms can be genetically modified and why this may be beneficial.

Genetic modification involves the transfer of material from one species into another species. This involves using restriction enzymes, which recognise a particular DNA sequence to cut the DNA at this site. The restriction enzymes can be used to isolate a gene of interest/DNA insert from a donor species. Simultaneously, the DNA from a bacterial plasmid can be cut with restriction enzymes to make space for the donor insert. The DNA pieces can then be joined together using the enzyme DNA ligase. The newly generated plasmid can be inserted into bacteria and propogated to produce thousands of copies of the genetically modified plasmid. Both plants and animals can be genetically modified. This can be beneficial for agricuture as genes can be introduced into plants to improve pesticide resistance.