Question:
Can you explain Insulin production in bacteria and its
regulation by IPTG.
Replies:
Information on expression of eukaryotic genes in
bacteria can be found in any molecular biology
textbook. See for instance 'Recombinant DNA by Watson,
Gilman, Witkowski and Zoller, 2nd Ed., chapter 23
where the cloning of insulin is described. The use of
an IPTG inducable promoter (the promoter of LacZ is
only active when the inductor IPTG is present) is also
explained in text books, and even in catalogs of the
companies selling the plasmids that are used for such
experiments.
With a bit of reading you'll become an expert!
Dr. Wassenaar
I'm not sure what IPTG is. But are you referring to recombinant DNA
technology? First a human gene for insulin was isolated and cut out of the
human chromosome with restriction enzymes. These are enzymes that cut DNA at
very specific spots in the DNA. They are like DNA scissors. Then a small
piece of DNA called a plasmid is isolated from a bacteria. The same
restriction enzyme is used to cut the plasmid. The insulin gene from the
human is inserted into the bacterial DNA and they are sealed together with an
enzyme called ligase. The plasmid is reinserted into the bacteria and the
bacteria will treat the human insulin gene as its own. When it comes time to
make protein it will make the insulin as well. Bacteria reproduce very
rapidly and are easily maintained. We can get vats of human insulin by this
method.
NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.
