Insulin Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Insulin - Term Paper Example The termination of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis results to restoration of normal glucose levels in the blood. The action of insulin in the body is usually brief and the level blood sugar changes after the action of insulin subsides. Besides the control of blood sugar, production of insulin initiates a series of metabolic reactions that are mainly mediated by the changes in expression of over 100 genes in the body (O’Brien and Granner, 1117). One of the major effects of insulin in such physiological processes includes the regulation in the expression of genes that stimulate absorption of amino acids, metabolisms of lipids mainly in the muscles and adipose tissue. In addition, insulin affects the expression of genes used for growth, development and survival of somatic cells (Rhodes and White8) Alfred Sanger did the first sequencing of amino acids that make up insulin hormone in 1955 (BCBC 1). According to BCBC (1) insulin is the first protein to have its amino acid chain determined and sequenced. Moreover, the hormone is the first â€Å"peptide protein measured by radioimmunoassay technique†. In addition, insulin is the first hormone to be produced in microorganisms using recombinant DNA technology, a process that was successfully conducted in the 1970s. Since then, insulin produced by recombinant DNA technology has been used for treating diabetes, replacing earlier hormones that were produced from purification of insulin from animal species (BCBC1) Disruption of insulin synthesis in the body causes several physiological changes in the body. One of the major impacts of low glucose production is hyperglycemia, a medical condition characterized by an abnormal increase of glucose in the blood plasma (Steiner and James 42). Other effects include poor growth and development of the body. Diabetic patients