Why is it in the News?

Researchers at the Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, have developed a novel method for the production of recombinant proteins.

What are Recombinant Proteins?

• A recombinant protein is a protein that has been produced by the means of recombinant DNA – DNA that has been modified in order to encode the blueprint of a protein of interest.
• Recombinant proteins are produced in host cells, in which recombinant DNA has previously been inserted so that the cells’ ribosomes are instructed to express the recombinant protein instead of what the cells’ original DNA would have encoded.

What are recombinant proteins in biotechnology?

• In biotechnology, recombinant proteins are proteins that have been produced by host cells, according to artificially modified DNA (recombinant DNA) instead of the cells’ own DNA.
• The recombinant DNA is inserted into host cells by means of a suitable vector, after which protein expression commences according to this blueprint.
• Once harvested, recombinant proteins are used for various purposes within life sciences and medicine, e.g. in research, but also the treatment of several diseases.

What are the techniques in recombinant protein production?

• genetic engineering, DNA cloning and vector design
• transfection of host cells (bacterial, yeast, mammalian)
• protein expression and purification

Recombinant protein examples:

• • human insulin
  • human growth factors
  • factor VIII – treatment for haemophilia
  • therapeutic monoclonal antibodies
  • various research reagents

What are recombinant proteins used for?

• Recombinant proteins are widely used in many fields of life sciences, e.g. for research purposes, but also in the treatment of various diseases.
• This is because they are frequently chosen in the production of biopharmaceuticals, for instance when designing monoclonal antibody therapies.
• In the treatment of diabetes, recombinant proteins are also an essential keystone, being used in the production of human insulin.

Benefits of recombinant proteins:

• High Purity: Recombinant proteins can be produced with a high degree of purity, reducing the risk of contamination or impurities in experimental applications.
• Customization: Researchers can design and produce recombinant proteins with specific modifications, tags, or mutations to suit their experimental needs.
• Scalability: The possibility to scale up recombinant protein production makes it suitable for industrial and therapeutic applications.
• Consistency: The production of recombinant proteins can be tightly controlled, ensuring consistent quality and reproducibility in experiments or drug manufacturing.

Cost-Effectiveness: Compared to traditional methods of obtaining proteins from natural sources, recombinant protein production can be more cost-effective, especially for rare or complex proteins.