Question

Insulin in man is normally produced by the (3 cells of the pancreas. But now a days it is commercially produced from bacteria like E.coli and marketed as ‘humulin’.

1. Write down the procedure used

2. Insulin is not taken from pancreas of slaughtered animals. Why?

Answer 1

1. Human insulin was synthesized by American company Eli Lilly by recombinant DNA technology. The 2 DNA sequence coding for A & B polypeptide chain were introduced into E coli. The 2 polypeptide chains are synthesized independently and later linked by disulphide bond to form mature insulin.

2. It causes allergy