MICROBES IN

MICROBES IN
GENETIC
GENETIC
ENGINEERING……
ENGINEERING……

POOJA.P.RAJAN
POOJA.P.RAJAN
MSc ZOOLOGY
MSc ZOOLOGY
GEMOs(Genetically Engineered
Microorganisms)
• Microorganisms whose genetic material has been altered using
recombinant DNA technology .
• Help produce metabolites of commercial or medical
importance such as insulin,vitamin,aminoacids or enzymes.
• Most reason to prefer microbes- they grow rapidly and easy to
cultivate.
• GEMOs have found applications in human
health,agriculture,bioremediation and in
industries(food,paper,textiles).
INSULIN
• Insulin is a hormone produced by β-cells of islets of
Langerhans of pancreas. It was discovered by sir Edward
Sharpey Schafer (1916) while studying Islets of Langerhans.
• Pancreas is a mixed gland situated transversely across the
upper abdomen behind stomach and spleen.
• Insulin is a peptide hormone and a central regulator of
carbohydrates and fat metabolism in the body.
• Structure of Human Insulin:
• Chemically Human insulin is small, simple protein composed of
51 amino acids sequences and has a molecular weight of 5808 Da.
• Insulin hormone is a dimer of a A- chain and a B-chain which are
linked together by a disulphide bond.
• Fredrick Sanger et al (1954) gave the first complete description of
insulin. Insulin consists of two polypeptide chain,
o Chain A- 21 amino acids long
o Chain B-30 amino acids long
o Both chains are joined together by disulphide bond between two
cysteine residue
• Canadian physician Frederick Banting and Charles.H.Best
discovered the hormone insulin in pancreatic extracts of dogs
• The antidiabetic role of insulin was discovered in 1921
• First recombinant therapeutic protein –Herbert Boyer-
1978(Genentech company-U.S.A)
• In 1982,Eli lily(U.S.A)started to produce human insulin from
genetically engineered bacteria E.coli.It is available in the
trade name “humulin”
• The food and drug administration (FDA) ,department of
U.S.A approved it for therapeutic use .
https://youtu.be/glt8iAqK8NQ
• Many mammalian proteins are produced by genetic engineering. For example,
tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) is a blood protein that scavenges and
dissolves blood clots that may form in the final stages of the healing process.
• TPA is primarily used in heart patients or others suffering from poor
circulation to prevent the development of clots that can be life-threatening. so
microbially produced TPA is in high demand.
•  blood clotting factors VII, VIII, and IX are critically important for the
formation of blood clots.
• Hemophiliacs suffer from a deficiency of one or more clotting factors and can
therefore be treated with microbially produced clotting factors.
• Human growth hormone (hGH) approved by FDA in 1985,was produced by
modified E.coli containing native human growth hormone gene 
 VACCINES

• A suspension of killed or modified microorganism being injected

into body to stimulate immunity against the pathogens
VACCINE DESCRIPTION APPLICATION COMPANY APPROVED

Recombivax Cloning a gene for Hepatitis B Merck 1986(U.S)

HBsAG in prevention
S.cerevisiae(yeast)

AIDSVAX gp120 of HIV HIV prevention Genentech Not approved

cloned in vaccinia
virus
ACAM2000 Antigenic gene of Small pox Emergent Approved
small pox virus prevention Biosolutions
cloned in vaccinia (U.S.A)
virus
AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PRODUCTION
EXAMPLE GENETIC CHANGE
ORGANISM

Biofertilizer Salmonella nif genes of klebsiella

typhimurium(or any pneumoniae into
harmless soil bacteria) bacteria-capable of
fixing atmospheric
nitrogen

Commercial importance E.coli Recombinant E.coli

with plasmid NAH7 –
indigo production

Insecticidal Cyanobacteria(synecho Mosquitocidal toxin

cystis) gene from Bacillus
thuringiensis
israelensis into
cyanobacteria
• In fact, almost all the hard cheeses made in the United
States, and in much of the West, use a protein that is made
from genetically engineered yeast and bacteria.
(Rhizomucor miehei).
• In cheese production, coagulants called rennet are used to
clot milk. The primary enzyme in rennet driving the
clotting process is called chymosin, which acts on milk
proteins like casein and makes milk curdle.
• AMA I gene of amaranthes into Saccharomyces cervisiae
-Increases nutritive value
POLLUTION CONTROL-BIOREMEDIATION

• Using microbes to clean up pollution.

• The oil eating SUPERBUG was developed at Generic Electric in
1975 by Ananda mohan chakrabarty.
• In 1980, he received a patent on a genetically modified
Pseudomonas putida bacterium that would eat up oil spills.
• He was the first person to win patent on a living organism.
• Pseudomonas putida contain
1. OCT plasmid degrading octane,hexane,decane
2. XYL plasmid degrading xylene and toluene
3. CAM plasmid degrading camphor
4. NAH plasmid degrading naphthalene
• The application of genetic engineering for heavy metals
removal has aroused great interest. For
example, Alcaligenes eutrophus AE104 (pEBZ141) was
used for chromium removal from industrial wastewater
and the recombinant photosynthetic
bacterium, Rhodopseudomonas palustris, was constructed
to simultaneously express mercury transport system and
metallothionein for Hg2+ removal from heavy metal
wastewater .
Recent news on GEMOS
• Bacteria engineered to protect bees from pests and
pathogens(University of Texas at Austin). The engineered
bacteria live in the guts of honey bees and act as biological
factories, pumping out medicines protecting the bees
against two major causes of colony collapse: Varroa mites
and deformed wing virus. The team engineered one strain
of bacteria to target the virus and another for the mites-
promote a helpful RNAi response to viruses in bees -- and
trigger a lethal RNAi response in the mites.
• Genetically engineered plasmid can be used to fight
antimicrobial resistance. The mechanism used to remove
antibiotic resistance genes is the specialized protein, CRISPR-
Cas9. It can make cuts just about anywhere in DNA. Along
with CRISPR-Cas9, RNA sequences homologous to DNA
within the antibiotic resistance gene have been added to the
engineered plasmid. These RNAs guide the CRISPR-Cas9 to
make the cuts in the right places. The delivery vehicle for the
engineered plasmid is a particular strain of E. faecalis , which
conjugates with E. faecalis of various different strains.
(American Society for Microbiology)
• Antibiotics discovered that kill bacteria in a new way(McMaster
University)- corbomycin and complestatin- The researchers also
demonstrated in mice that these new antibiotics can block
infections caused by the drug resistant  Staphylococcus
aureus which is a group of bacteria that can cause many serious
infections.
• Specific gut bacteria may be associated with pulmonary arterial
hypertension(American Heart Association). Gut microbiota are
constantly changing, depending on what we eat, our environment
and especially our genetic makeup. However,the bacteria
associated with PAH are unique and do not seem to change.
REFERENCES

• https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/genetically_modified/
• Biotechnology :- V.Kumaresan -Saras Publication.