How are bacterial plasmids utilized to produce proteins like insulin?

Bacterial plasmids are small, circular pieces of DNA that can be manipulated through genetic engineering techniques to produce proteins such as insulin. The process begins with isolating the DNA sequence that encodes the desired protein, such as insulin. This gene is then inserted into a plasmid, which can replicate independently within a bacterial cell.

Once the plasmid containing the insulin gene is introduced into bacteria, typically through a method called transformation, the bacteria can utilize their cellular machinery to transcribe and translate the inserted gene into the protein product—in this case, insulin. This method allows for mass production of the protein, as the bacteria divide and replicate, producing multiple copies of the plasmid and, consequently, large amounts of insulin.

This technique of using plasmids for gene cloning and protein production exemplifies how genetic engineering can harness biological systems to produce therapeutic proteins efficiently.