Which among the following peptide is removed during maturation of pro-insulin to insulin ?

C- peptide

The correct answer is Option (2) -C- peptide

Insulin is used for diabetes treatment. Insulin is composed of two short polypeptide chains, namely chain A and chain B, which are connected by disulfide bridges.

In mammals, including humans, insulin is initially produced as a prohormone, similar to a proenzyme that requires processing to become a fully mature and functional hormone. This prohormone contains an additional segment called the C-peptide. However, during the maturation process into insulin, the C-peptide is removed, and it is not present in the mature insulin.

The main challenge in producing insulin using recombinant DNA (rDNA) techniques was achieving the assembly of insulin into its mature form. In 1983, the American company Eli Lilly prepared two DNA sequences corresponding to the A and B chains of human insulin and introduced them into plasmids of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria to produce insulin chains. The A and B chains were generated separately, extracted, and then combined by creating disulfide bonds to form human insulin. This process allowed for the production of synthetic human insulin through rDNA technology, providing a safer and more reliable source of insulin for diabetes management.