Which term best describes the production of human insulin using bacterial host cells?

• A. Pharmacognosy
• B. Antibiotics
• C. Penicillin
• D. Recombinant DNA technology

Answer: (D)

Producing human insulin in bacterial host cells relies on using recombinant DNA technology to move the human insulin gene into bacteria so they can manufacture the protein. By inserting the human gene into a bacterial plasmid and introducing it into a host cell, the bacteria use their transcription and translation machinery to produce insulin, which is then harvested and purified. This approach is a classic example of recombinant DNA technology, a method that creates useful proteins by combining genetic material from different organisms. The other terms don’t fit because pharmacognosy studies drugs from natural sources, while antibiotics are agents that kill or inhibit microbes, with penicillin being one example—not a production method for human proteins in bacteria.