The fruit fly (Drosophilamelanogaster) has proven to be an invaluable model in the study ofinherited genes. As a result,
a wealth of research and data produced from thestudy of the fruit fly are publicly available. This collection of proteins in acell is known as its proteome, and proteomics is the study of the structure,function, location and interaction of proteins within and between cells. Weknow that the sequence of amino acids affects the shape a protein assumes, butwe are not clear on the rules that govern the folding process. The genome islargely constant, irrespective of cell type and age, but the proteome variesfrom one cell type to the next, from one year to the next, and even from momentto moment. The cellular proteome changes in response to other cells in the bodyand external environmental conditions. charting the progression of aprocess—such as disease development, the steps in the infection process or thebiochemical response of a crop plant to insect feeding—by measuring waxing andwaning protein production. discovering how a protein interacts with otherproteins within the cell and from outside the cell. Systems biologists developa series of mathematical models of processes and pathways to elucidate the fullcomplexity of the interactions that occur in
biological systems. The tools andtechniques of
biotechnology are helpful not only in product discovery but alsoare useful throughout the development process. What is more, biotechnology iscreating the tools to pinpoint the winning compounds far earlier in theprocess.tests to identify the presence of genetically modified food products.Amore appropriate definition in the new sense of the word is this: NewBiotechnology—the use of cellular and biomolecular processes to solve problemsor make useful products. Cells are the basic building blocks of all livingthings. This unity of life at the cellular level provides the foundation for biotechnology.All cells have the samebasic design, are made of the same construction materials and operate usingessentially the same processes. The oldest of thebiotechnologies, bioprocessing technology, uses living cells or the molecularcomponents of their manufacturing machinery to produce desired products. The drug is the first immunotoxinthat shows promise in the fight against cancer.Cell culture technology isthe growing of cells outside of living organisms.Mammalian cell culture cansupplement—and may one day replace—animal testing to assess the safety andefficacy of medicines. There the human stem cells proliferate. Over the courseof several days, the cells of the inner cell mass divide and spread all overthe dish. Recently scientists have been figuring out ways to grow embryonicstem cells without using mouse feeder cells—a significant advance because ofthe risk of viruses and other macromolecules in the mouse cells beingtransmitted to the human cells. The potential value of stemcell therapy and tissue engineering can best be realized if the therapeuticstem cells and the tissues derived from them are genetically identical to thepatient receiving them. Therefore, unless the patient is the source of the stemcells, the stem cells need to be “customized” by replacing the stem cell’sgenetic material with the patient’s before cueing the stem cells todifferentiate into a specific cell type. Molecular, or gene, cloning, the process of creating genetically identical DNAmolecules, provides the foundation of the molecular biology revolution and is afundamental and essential tool of biotechnology research, development andcommercialization. Although the 1997 debut of Dolly, the cloned sheep, broughtanimal cloning into the public consciousness, the production of an animal clonewas not a new development. The most pervasive uses ofprotein engineering to date are applications that alter the catalyticproperties of enzymes to develop ecologically sustainable industrial processes.When the substanceof interest binds with the biological component, the transducer produces anelectrical or optical signal proportional to the concentration of thesubstance. NanobiotechnologyNanotechnology, which cameinto its own in 2000 with the birth of the National Nanotechnology Initiative,is the next stop in the miniaturization path that gave us microelectronics,microchips and microcircuits. Nanobiotechnology joins the breakthroughs innanotechnology to those in molecular biology. Most appropriately, DNA, theinformation storage molecule, may serve as the basis of the next generation ofcomputers. Some applications of bionanotechnology include increasing the speedand power of disease diagnostics.improving the specificity and timing of drugdelivery. encouraging the development of green manufacturing practices