Genome Alterations and New Products of Biotechnology: -Recombinant DNA Technology Yields New Products and Challenges

The products of recombinant DNA technology range from proteins to engineered organisms. The technology can produce large amounts of commercially useful proteins, can design microorganisms for special tasks, and can engineer plants or animals with traits that are useful in agriculture or medicine. Some products of this technology have been approved for consumer or professional use, and many more are in development. Genetic engineering has been transformed over a few years from a promising new technology to a multibillion-dollar in dustry, with much of the growth occurring in the pharmaceutical industry. Some major classes of new products are listed in Table 9–3. Erythropoietin is typical of the newer products. This protein hormone (Mr 51,000) stimulates erythrocyte production. People with diseases that compromise kidney function often have a deficiency of this protein, resulting in anemia. Erythropoietin produced by recombinant DNA technology can be used to treat these individuals, reducing the need for repeated blood transfusions. ■ Other applications of this technology continue to emerge. Enzymes produced by recombinant DNA tech nology are already used in the production of detergents, sugars, and cheese. Engineered proteins are being used as food additives to supplement nutrition, flavor, and fragrance. Microorganisms are being engineered with altered or entirely novel metabolic pathways to extract oil and minerals from ground deposits, to digest oil spills, and to detoxify hazardous waste dumps and sewage. Engineered plants with improved resistance to drought, frost, pests, and disease are increasing crop yields and reducing the need for agricultural chemicals. Complete animals can be cloned by moving an entire nucleus and all of its genetic material to a prepared egg from which the nucleus has been removed. The extraordinary promise of modern biotechnology does not come without controversy. The cloning of mammals challenges societal mores and may be accompanied by serious deficiencies in the health and longevity of the cloned animal. If useful pharmaceutical agents can be produced, so can toxins suitable for bio logical warfare. The potential for hazards posed by the release of engineered plants and other organisms into the biosphere continues to be monitored carefully. The full range of the long-term consequences of this tech nology for our species and for the global environment is impossible to foresee, but will certainly demand our increasing understanding of both cellular metabolism and ecology.

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اخبار العتبة العباسية المقدسة

وفد العتبة العباسية المقدسة يزور شعبة الإعداد البدني للاطّلاع على برنامج تأهيل المنتسبين الجدد

قسم بين الحرمين يقدم جهودًا مضاعفة لإعادة المفقودات إلى الزائرين

بعد برامج تدريبية متخصصة.. متحف الكفيل يبيّن منجزات ملاكاته في فن الخاتم (الأرابيسك)

شعبة مدارس الكفيل الدينية تعقد الاجتماع التحضيري الأول لمهرجان روح النبوّة الثقافي

المزيد

الآخبار الصحية

ماذا يحدث إذا تناولنا الطعام مرة واحدة فقط في اليوم

اكتشاف عوامل خطر غير متوقعة لمرض الكبد الدهني

فيروس هانتا والسفينة الموبوءة.. تحديث من الصحة العالمية

طبيب يحسم الجدل السجائر الإلكترونية وعلاقتها بالسرطان

المزيد

الآخبار التكنلوجية

لأول مرة في الولايات المتحدة.. تشغيل مفاعل مصغر نووي يغذي الذكاء الاصطناعي بالطاقة

الكشف عن تفاصيل أول عملية ناجحة لاستعادة انتاج الحيوانات المنوية

أطلس يكشف خفايا الجسم البشري بدقة أرفع بـ50 مرة من شعر الإنسان

المتحف المصري الكبير يتحول إلى "أيقونة خضراء" بدعم ياباني

المزيد

مواضيع ذات صلة

Storage Lipids: - Triacylglycerols Are Fatty Acid Esters of Glycerol

Storage Lipids:- Fatty Acids Are Hydrocarbon Derivatives

Genome Alterations and New Products of Biotechnology:- New Technologies Promise to Expedite the Discovery of New Pharmaceuticals

Genome Alterations and New Products of Biotechnology: -Manipulation of Animal Cell Genomes Provides Information on Chromosome Structure and Gene Expression

Genome Alterations and New Products of Biotechnology:- A Bacterial Plant Parasite Aids Cloning in Plants

From Genomes to Proteomes:- Detection of Protein-Protein Interactions Helps to Define Cellular and Molecular Function

From Genomes to Proteomes:- Cellular Expression Patterns Can Reveal the Cellular Function of a Gene

From Genomes to Proteomes:- Sequence or Structural Relationships Provide Information on Protein Function

From Genes to Genomes:- Genome Sequences Provide the Ultimate Genetic Libraries

From Genes to Genomes:- The Polymerase Chain Reaction Amplifies Specific DNA Sequences

From Genes to Genomes:- DNA Libraries Provide Specialized Catalogs of Genetic Information

DNA Cloning: The Basics:- Alterations in Cloned Genes Produce Modified Proteins