Applications of Recombinant DNA Technology

Both now and in the future, the uses of this technology for basic research and practical purposes are virtually unlimited. Some current and possible future applications are considered briefly in this section. 

The human hormones somatostatin, growth hormone, and insulin are examples of proteins synthesized in large amounts by genetically modified E. coli. 

For somatostatin (a 14-residue polypeptide synthesized in the hypothalamus), the appropriate double-stranded DNA was synthesized chemically and coupled to an appropriate plasmid vector for insertion into the bacteria. Because of the small size of somatostatin, the procedure is relatively simple. 

The procedure for insulin is more complex because insulin is synthesized as preproinsulin and must be processed to yield the A and B chains of insulin (page 415). Bacteria do not have the processing system for converting the precursor to insulin. The appropriate cDNAs for the A and B chains were coupled into individual plasmids and each inserted into separate bacteria for production of the A and B chains. Following purification of the individual chains/ the proper disulfide bonds were chemically formed to yield the mature insulin. 

Because it contains 191 amino acid residues, although in a single chain, human growth hormone presented a more difficult problem than insulin. Two separate segments of cDNA had to be constructed, each inserted and joined in a vector, to obtain the entire coding sequence for the protein. 

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The molecular causes of a number of heritable diseases of bone (eg, osteogenesis imperfecta) and of cartilage (eg, the chondrodystrophies) are being revealed by the application of recombinant DNA technology. 

The application of recombinant DNA technology is revolutionizing the field of hematology. 

Downham, M., Busby, S., Jefferis, R., and Lyddiatt, A., Immunoaffinity chromatography in biorecovery an application of recombinant DNA technology to generic adsorption processes, /. Chromatogr., 584, 59, 1992. 

Examples of the early application of recombinant DNA technology in medicine are the development of recombinant human growth hormone human insulin human interferons, thought to have anticancer activity in addition to antiviral activity interleukins (regulatory proteins from lymphocytes that are believed to be important in the treatment of immunodeficiency diseases and cancer) tumor necrosis factor epidermal and bone marrow progenitor cell growth factors and the production of vaccines (Table 12.1). 

One of the major applications of recombinant DNA technology has been to produce large amounts of commercially relevant proteins, including enzymes, receptors, and peptide messengers of various sorts. The sequences of these proteins, at least in the initial stages of investigation and production, have been those found in nature, so that the structure and function of the protein products of cloning would be the same as those of natural proteins extracted from tissue, serum, and so forth. 

Application of recombinant DNA technology to clone and express the gene for bovine somatotropin has made it possible to obtain an unlimited amount of the hormone and provides further an opportunity to investigate benefits that may be derived from controlling milk production through supplemental administration of bovine somatotropin on a commercial scale. Central to studies conducted to investigate the safety and efficacy of recombinant-derived bovine somatotropin is the need for a sensitive analytical method that could be used to estimate bovine somatotropin levels in various biological fluids. 

Unterman, R., Mondello, F. J., Brennan, M. J., Brooks, R. E., Mobley, D. P., McDermott, J.B. Schwartz, C. C. (1987b). Bacterial treatment of PCB contaminated soils Prospects for the application of recombinant DNA technology. In Proceedings of the Second International Conference on New Frontiers for Hazardous Waste Management, pp. 259-64. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA6/600/9-87/018F). 

Highlights attending receptor pharmacogenetics research are presented chronologically in Table 3. It is evident from the record that the advent and widespread application of recombinant DNA technology has greatly... 

Be aware of specific applications of recombinant DNA technology, such as the production of useful proteins, the construction of useful organisms, uses in medical diagnosis, for gene therapy, and for basic experimental studies. 

Thus the application of recombinant DNA technology to the study of neuropeptide biosynthesis has enhanced, and will continue to enhance, our understanding of the structure, function, and evolution of these interesting modulatory agents. Some of the most exciting advances, such as the insights provided by genetic studies, are yet to come. 

Many crystallization reports emphasize the need to use pure proteins to ensure crystal reproducibility. The application of recombinant DNA technology to the production of truncated gene products promises to alleviate many of the difficulties associated with purifying protein fragments produced with proteolytic enzymes. 

The application of recombinant DNA technology in the flavor industry is less advanced than it is in the pharmaceutical and food industries. However, this technology seems to have the most potential in future research. Nowadays, the recom-... 

This classification is quoted from Guidelinefor Industrial Application of Recombinant DNA Technology which has been published by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in Japan. This guideline can be applied... 

Regulatory guidelines for industrial applications of recombinant DNA technology, even though there are differences in each country, are primarily based on Recombinant DNA Safety Considerations following the Recommendation of the Council, which have been recommended to the member nations of OECD in 1986. 

Application of Recombinant DNA Technology in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery... 

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