Prokaryotic cells overview

This section briefly overviews how biopharmaceutical substances are produced in a biopharmaceutical/biotech manufacturing facility. As the vast bulk of biopharmaceuticals are proteins synthesized in recombinant prokaryotic (e.g. E. coli) or eukaryotic (e.g. mammalian cells) production systems, attention will focus specifically upon these. 

We begin by examining the interactions between proteins and DNA that are the key to transcriptional regulation. We next discuss the specific proteins that influence the expression of specific genes, first in prokaryotic and then in eukaryotic cells. Information about posttranscriptional and translational regulation is included in the discussion, where relevant, to provide a more complete overview of the rich complexity of regulatory mechanisms. 

II. Overview of Membrane Protein Assembly Pathways in Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells... 

Despite their immense diversity of sizes, shapes, and capacities, living cells are also remarkably similar. In fact, all modem cells are believed to have evolved from primordial cells over three billion years ago (see Special Interest Box 2.2). The common features of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells include their similar chemical composition and the universal use of DNA as genetic material. The objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of cell structure. This review is a valuable exercise because biochemical reactions do not occur in isolation. It is becoming increasingly obvious that our understanding of living processes is incomplete without knowledge of their cellular context. After a brief discussion of some basic themes in cellular structure and function, the essential structural features of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells will be described in relation to their biochemical roles. 

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