Different kinds of cells make different proteins following instructions encoded in the DNA of their genes. Since 1973, scientists have been able to alter those instructions in bacterial cells by adding genes from other organisms to the bacterial genes. this causes the bacteria to produce proteins they normally do not synthesize.
Bacteria so altered are called recombinants, and their DNA, a combination of DNA from different sources, is called recombinant DNA.
When recombinant DNA is properly introduced into a bacterium will synthesize the proteins specified by the new gene it has acquired.
The new technology that has arisen from manipulating the genetic material is called genetic engineering. Yeast cells are also being used in recombinant DNA research.
The practical applications of recombinant DNA technology are enormous. Strains of recombinant bacteria are now producing many important therapeutic substances.
These include human growth hormone (hGH), required for growth during childhood and important in metabolism of adults; insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar level and is used by diabetics; interferon (IFN), an antiviral (and possibly anticancer) substance; factor VIII, a blood clotting factor missing in people with hemophilia A; erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates formation of red blood cells; monoclonal antibodies to diagnose and treat cancer and assist in AIDS research; and many other substances.
Scientists are also using recombinant DNA techniques to develop vaccines against several viruses, including those that cause AIDS, hepatitis B, Herpes and influenza.
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