Definition

1. Noun:
   • A recombinant protein is a protein molecule that is produced artificially by genetically engineered cells. The DNA sequence (gene) that codes for the desired protein is inserted into a host cell (like bacteria, yeast, or mammalian cells), which then uses its own machinery to "express" or manufacture the protein.

Usage

• The term is used primarily in the fields of molecular biology, biotechnology, medicine, and pharmaceutical research.
• It describes a product of genetic engineering technology, not the process itself.
• It is often used to specify the source or production method of a therapeutic or research protein, distinguishing it from proteins isolated from natural sources.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Insulin for diabetic patients is now commonly produced as a recombinant protein in bacteria.
  • The laboratory purified the recombinant protein for use in their antibody experiments.
  • The new drug is a recombinant protein designed to stimulate the immune system.

Advanced Usage

• "Expression of a recombinant protein": This phrase refers to the process by which the host cell produces the protein from the introduced gene.
  • Optimizing the conditions for the expression of the recombinant protein is a key step in the lab.
• "Recombinant protein production" / "Recombinant protein technology": These terms refer to the overall methods and industry involved in creating these proteins.
  • Recombinant protein technology has revolutionized the production of vaccines.

Variants and Related Words

• Recombinant DNA (n): The artificially constructed DNA molecule that is inserted into a host cell. This is the genetic starting material for making a recombinant protein.
• Expression system (n): The combination of host cell and genetic elements used to produce a recombinant protein (e.g., expression system).
• Heterologous protein (n): A synonym sometimes used in scientific literature, meaning a protein produced in a host organism that does not naturally make it.

Synonyms

• Genetically engineered protein
• Bioengineered protein

Related Phrases

• To produce/express/purify a recombinant protein: Common verb collocations describing stages of working with these molecules.
  • The company developed a new method to purify recombinant proteins at a large scale.

Noun

1. a protein derived from recombinant DNA