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How did Eli Lilly synthesis the human insulin? Mention one difference between this insulin and the one produced by the human pancreas.###What is genetically engineered insulin?

Vidyadip · Accepted Answer

Insulin from an animal source, though caused some patients to develop allergy or other types of reactions to the foreign protein. Insulin consists of two short polypeptide chains: chain $\alpha$ and chain $\beta$, that are linked together by disulphide bridges. In mammals including humans, insulin is synthesized as a prohormone which contains an extra stretch called the C-peptide.
In 1983, Eli Lilly an American company prepared two DNA sequences corresponding to $\alpha$ and $\beta$, chains of human insulin and introduced them in plasmid of E. coli to produce insulin chain $\alpha$ and $\beta$ were produced separately, extracted and combined by creating disulphide bonds to form human insulin $\alpha$, $\beta$.
This insulin is produced by human body different from the insulin produced by the above mentioned company. Insulin is synthesized as a pro-hormone (like a pro-enzyme, the pro-hormone also need to be processed before it becomes a fully mature and functional hormone) which contains an extra stretch. This C peptide is not present in the mature insulin and is removed during maturation into insulin. The main challenge for production of insulin using $r$DNA techniques was getting insulin assembled into a mature form.

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