Biotechnology of Large Molecules Flashcards
Biotechnology definition
Biotechnology is technology based on biology, agriculture, food science and medicine. The modern use of the term refers to genetic engineering as well as cell and tissue culture technologies.
Eukaryotic drug production systems
Yeast, cell culture, transgenic plants- tobacco, transgenic animals- goats, sheep, cows
Bioinformatics definition
The use of computers to identify gene sequences
How to obtain a copy of a gene encoding a therapeutic protein
Extract it from the host DNA using enzymes
Polymerase chain reaction
Artificial synthesis
Post-translational modifications
It affects the shape of the final protein:
influences biological activity of antibodies and enzymes
affects drug half life in the body/ drug stability
protein with the wrong sugar groups such as antibodies are removed from the circulation
Benefits of using prokaryotes
Easy to construct Supports large scale production Can express toxic proteins Do not have safety and ethical issues Low cost
Benefit(s) of using eukaryotes- transgenic animals and plants
Can perform post-translational modification e.g. glycosylation
