Question

Assertion : Eli Lily prepared two DNA sequences corresponding to A and B chain of human insulin and introduced them in the plasmid of E.coli to produce polypeptide chains of insulin.
Reason : Chains A and B were produced separately, extracted and combined by creating disulphide bonds to form human insulin.

• A. If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion
• B. If both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion
• C. If assertion is true but reason is false
• D. If both assertion and reason are false

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

Insulin is synthesised as a prohormone which contains an extra stretch called C peptide. This C peptide is not present in the mature insulin as it is removed during maturation. The main challenge for insulin production using rDNA technique was getting insulin assembled into a mature form. In 1983, Eli Lily, an American company, first prepared two DNA sequences corresponding to A and B chains of human insulin and introduced them in plasmids of E. coli to produce insulin chains. Chain A and B were produced separately, extracted and combined by creating disulphide bonds to form human insulin.