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How does biotechnology use recombinant DNA to produce human insulin?
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Biochemistry
In biochemistry, researchers study the chemical substances and processes that occur in living organisms and cells. In particular, various processes by which cells gain energy, such as epinephrine-stimulated cAMP synthesis, have been deduced through the study of biochemistry.
Biotechnology utilizes recombinant DNA technology to transform bacteria into efficient "factories" for the production of human insulin. Because the amino acid sequence of human insulin is known, scientists can synthesize the corresponding DNA sequence in a laboratory.2
The process generally involves the following steps:
- Gene Insertion: The synthetic DNA sequence coding for insulin is spliced into a plasmid—a small, circular piece of extrachromosomal DNA.1
- Transformation: This recombinant plasmid is introduced into a laboratory strain of bacteria, such as Escherichia coli.21
- Protein Synthesis: Once inside the bacterial cells, the inserted gene directs the bacteria to synthesize the human insulin protein.2
- Scaling: Through the autonomous replication of the plasmid within the bacteria, the process can be scaled up to produce large, marketable quantities of the protein.1
This method, first commercialized in 1982, provides a reliable, synthetic source of human insulin, replacing the need for animal-derived alternatives.2