ChemInform Abstract: Contribution of Genetics to the Production and Discovery of Microbial Pharmaceuticals

Abstract

Recombinant DNA technology, hybridoma technology, enzyme engineering and protein engineering are all parts of the new biotechnology which is having a major effect on research in health care, diagnostics, agriculture and promises to make inroads in the practices of other industries such as petroleum, mining, foods and chemicals. Genetics has had a long history of contributions to the production of pharmaceuticals, especially antibiotics. antibiotic productivity and the resulting decreases in costs have come about mainly by mutation and screening for higher producing strains. Although mutation was used for forty years to improve antibiotic production, genetic recombination had been virtually ignored. called protoplast fusion changed the situation markedly. Of greatest excitement is the application of recombinant DNA technology to the production of antibiotics and entire antibiotic pathways have already been cloned. The development of recombinant DNA technology is having its major impact on the production of rare polypeptides which are enzymes, hormones, antibodies or other regulatory agents. As a result, marmnalian polypeptides can now be classified as microbial pharmaceuticals. produced by recombinant DNA technology and this has added an extra dimension of excitement to the field. microorganisms in the pharmaceutical world and the continued improvement in processes to reduce the cost of such drugs. The tremendous increases in