Proteins are the workhorses in your biological system, facilitating cell growth, nutrient uptake, apoptosis, and intercellular communication. Today, it is possible to find recombinant proteins for sale, which is nothing but proteins whose code is carried by a recombinant DNA.

What Are the Recombinant Proteins?

A recombinant protein is a manipulated or modified protein that is encoded by a recombinant DNA. This DNA consists of a plasmid where the target protein’s gene is cloned in an expression vector. The plasmid will then be established into a host expression system where the system uses its protein synthesis for expressing the protein of its choice.

How Are Recombinant Proteins Made?

Recombinant protein production was once a domain for only the experts. Today, there are widespread and mature techniques that are bringing large quantities of recombinant proteins for sale. Nevertheless, two methods, such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and molecular cloning, contribute predominantly to the production process.

The PCR is an In vitro based process that forgoes the use of hosts and vectors. Put simply, the PCR reaction alone is sufficient to duplicate and enhance the temple DNA. With molecular cloning, a DNA sequence of interest is cut from the cell and pasted into a plasmid vector. A living host cell then houses this recombinant plasmid for amplification purposes.

The following steps highlight the crucial stages in recombinant protein production:

• Procuring the cDNA and initiating the expression clone
• Actual cloning process
• Protein expression in an appropriate system
• Test expression on a small-scale
• Protein purification
• Protein characterization

Expression of Recombinant Proteins

There are both cell-based and cell-free systems for expressing the recombinant proteins. Here are some of the commonly used expression strategies:

Yeast System

It is used to perform functional assays, structural analysis, antibody generation, and for studying protein indicators. It also helps process eukaryotic proteins with simple media requirements. However, you can expect a high yield when growth conditions are optimized, and fermentation is adopted.

Mammalian Systems

This system performs protein interaction, virus production, structural analysis, functional assays, and others. Although it has demanding cell culture conditions, this system is optimized for obtaining a high yield of proteins.

Cell-Free System

It is an open system that studies toxic proteins, screen translational inhibitors, incorporate unnatural amino acids, etc. It offers a quick and straightforward extraction process but incurs high cost when you scale the protein production above multi-milligram quantities.

Benefits of Recombinant proteins

Companies offer recombinant proteins for sale owing to their multidisciplinary uses. Here are some in this regard:

For Treating Diseases

The rDNA proteins derived from animals or humans are used to treat a variety of diseases. Today, it is affordable and easy to produce proteins without isolating them from animal or human tissues. Insulin and human growth hormone are a few beneficiary proteins produced in this manner.

For Improving Crop Yields

rDNA technology can genetically modify crop plants and make them produce and contain unique proteins found in bacteria. It leads to better crop productivity through improved resistance to pests or tolerant to specific herbicides.

Developing Vaccines

Recombinant proteins are used in the production of vaccines like Hepatitis B. The technology uses minute quantities of protein from the virus instead of the virus itself. This results in a noninfectious product that is efficient in warding off the illness.

Recombinant proteins are a breakthrough in biomedical technology and have rapidly grown in popularity. They are free from off-target side effects and continue to improve with new formulations, increased safety, and higher efficiency.