Biotechnology
and hormones
PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF
BIOTECHNOLOGY
It is soooooo
cold. Thank goodness
it is school holidays.
I was sitting in the
sun reading, when I
started thinking :
Why am I always feeling
good when it is holiday, yet when
it is school, I always feel so down on a Monday.
Why do we have moods? By now you know that 2011
is the International Year of Chemistry. So, in sticking
with this theme, let's take a look at some of the chemistry
that is happening inside our very own bodies!
Have you heard about hormones?
Moody
Kyle!
The Human Body
– Hormones and
by Melissa Gopaul from the Public
Understanding of Biotechnology
biotechnology
programme, with input from Helene Share
4.
Choroid Plexus
Below your voice box (larynx) you will find the thyroid gland, which
produces thyroxin and triiodothyronine (tri-iodo-thy-ro-nine).
These play an important role in regulating the metabolism
(chemical processes that take place in cells and allow the
release of energy) and an underactive thyroid gland means a
slower metabolism,
Cerebrum
which results in
Ventricles
weight gain and
(fluid-filled spaces)
fatigue, amongst
other problems.
Hypothalamus
5. Adrenalin,
secreted by the
Hormones are chemicals that are produced in
Pineal Gland
the endocrine glands of our bodies. These play
a vital role in many of our body processes like
growth, metabolism and even mood. There are
Optic Nerve
adrenal glands
many endocrine glands that are found in
(at the top of
various places in the body:
each kidney),
Pituitary Gland
1. The Pituitary gland is found at the base of the
fuels the body to
Pons Brain Stem
brain and is about the size of a pea! Despite
fight or flee when
Medulla
Cerebellum
its size, it is known as the “master gland”
we are frightened.
because it produces hormones that
The extremely fast
control other endocrine glands.
reaction causes
Spinal Cord
your heart to
2. The Pineal gland is located in the
start pumping
brain, just above the pituitary
and your airways to
gland and is similar in size.
open to allow you
Melatonin is produced here in
to breathe better.
amounts that are determined by
the amount of light. When it is bright our
6. Islets of Langerhans are endocrine cells scattered along the
bodies produce less Melatonin and
pancreas walls, which secrete one of the most important
when it is dark more melatonin is
hormones: insulin. Insulin regulates the blood glucose
made. This helps us sleep.
levels in the body.
Thymus Gland
3. The Thymus gland is situated in the upper chest
7. The male
and the hormones produced, thymosins, play
and female
a vital role in immunity (our
reproductive
Diabetes
Adrenal Glands ability to fight diseases).
organs produce
is a disorder
Amazingly the thymus
their own
that affects more than
gland is large in infants
hormones.
230 million people worldwide.
and becomes smaller
People with Type I Diabetes
and less active as
either don't produce enough
people age.
insulin or their bodies cannot
use it, and this makes them
dependent on daily injections
of insulin into their
bloodstream.
26
MiniMag
If you are a MiniMag fan, you
would have read the article about
Ovaries
Biotechnology in the April edition.
If not, or if you can't remember here's
a small recap: biotechnology is about
using living organisms (plants, animals,
micro-organisms) to make products for
us. Examples of simple biotechnology
products include bread,
yoghurt and cheese.
Biotechnology has
a variety of uses,
Testes
Food (carbohydrates)
one of which is
gets digested
the production of
specific human
hormones.
Glucose forms
in blood.
How insulin
works
The food that we
eat (specifically
carbohydrates) is
broken down into
Pancreas
glucose, which is the
produces insulin
body's main source of
energy. Think
of glucose like
petrol for your
car – without
Insulin helps cells
absorb glucose
petrol, the car
won't run.
Increased
levels of
glucose in the blood
cause the pancreas
to produce insulin,
Glucose can then
which allows cells
be used for energy or
stored as glycogen
to absorb glucose
from our blood.
Once inside the cell, glucose is used
for energy or converted to glycogen (the
storage form of glucose). Glycogen is only
stored in the liver and muscle cells. Without
insulin injections, Type I diabetes sufferers
would not be able to take up glucose into
their cells and use it for energy or storage!
Producing insulin artificially
A long time ago, insulin was taken from pigs and
cows, but it wasn't always available. In 1978
biotechnology stepped in to save the day! By using a
technique called recombinant DNA technology, scientists were
able to get bacteria to produce human insulin. Scientists took the
insulin-producing gene i.e. the section of DNA that tells the body
to produce insulin, from a human and put it into the bacterial DNA.
(Remember that ALL living organisms are made up of the same
DNA, just in different orders). The bacteria were then able to
produce human insulin. Copies of these bacteria were
made to help produce large quantities of insulin.
All scientists had to do then was harvest the bacteria
and extract the insulin from them. This is an easy and
cheap way to produce insulin for the many people
who needed it. Amazing!
Thyroid
Human Growth Hormone (hGH)
This hormone produced by the pituitary gland is of great importance to
kids, as it helps you grow, stimulates your appetite and even helps your
body heal when you get hurt! A deficiency in this hormone results in
children being very short (short stature) and is associated with Turner's
syndrome – a genetic disease that only affects girls. Their reproductive organs
do not develop properly making them unable to have children. If diagnosed at
a young age the syndrome can be treated with hGH. Before 1985, hGH could
only be obtained from the pituitary glands of dead people.
Pituitary Gland
Once again, thanks to biotechnology we have an easier and
safer way to get this hormone. It is now produced in
the same way as insulin i.e. using
recombinant DNA technology.
Thyroid
Thymus Glands
Adrenal Glands
Pancreas
Ovaries (females only)
Testes (males only)
Pancreas
The advances in biotechnology have helped people live better, longer lives. For more information
on biotechnology, visit www.pub.ac.za, email info@pub.ac.za or call 012 392 9300.
science
& technology
Department:
Science and Technology
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
NRF SAASTA
National Research
Foundation
South African Agency for Science
and Technology Advancement
EasyScience is produced by the South African Agency for Science
and Technology Advancement (SAASTA), a business unit of the
National Research Foundation. SAASTA’s mission is to promote
the public's understanding, appreciation and engagement with
science and technology among all South Africans.
Visit the website: www.saasta.ac.za
for more information
27
PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Endocrine Quiz
Kyle's brain gets busy
A. Glands are small organs
located throughout
the body that release
substances called:
1. q Plasma
2. q Hormones
3. q Enzymes
4. q Bile
B. Which was the first
hormone produced using
modern biotechnology?
1.
2.
3.
4.
q
q
q
q
Adrenalin
Insulin
Growth hormone
Glycogen
C. What does DNA
stand for?
1.
2.
3.
4.
q
q
q
q
Do not ask
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Diprotic nitric acid
Does not apply
D. The technique of
__________ changes
a bacterium to be able
to produce human
hormones?
1.
2.
3.
4.
q
q
q
q
Cloning
Genetic modification
Recombinant DNA
technology
Bioprocessing
E. This gland is sometimes
called the master gland,
although it is only about
the size of a pea:
1.
2.
3.
4.
q
q
q
q
Pituitary
Adrenal
Pineal
Hypothalamus
F. What is
your largest
endocrine
gland?
1.
2.
3.
4.
q
q
q
q
Test your knowledge of hormones and the
human body with these fun-packed activities!
Name that gland
Adrenal
Tummy
Pituitary
Pancreas
Use words from the word bank
to correctly label this diagram:
1.
G. What is a common
problem with the
endocrine system?
1.
2.
3.
4.
q
q
q
q
7.
2.
3.
Haemophilia
Diabetes
Lung Cancer
Bad gas
4.
q
q
q
q
• Pituitary Gland
• Thyroid
• Thymus
• Hypothalamus
• Adrenal
• Pancreas
• Ovaries
• Testes
5.
Insulin
Adrenaline
Growth
hormone (hGH)
Sugar
6.
(girls only)
I. Where can you find
your pituitary gland?
1.
2.
3.
4.
q
q
q
q
In your right foot
Next to your liver
At the base of
your brain
Near your
heart and lungs
1.
2.
3.
4.
q
q
q
q
(boys only)
Can you find all the words from the list below?
Thyroid
Adrenal
Muscle
Pituitary
Answers: Quiz: A. Hormones; B. Insulin; C. Deoxyribonucleic Acid;
D. Recombinant DNA Technology; E. Pituitary; F. Pancreas; G. Diabetes;
H. Insulin; I. At the base of your brain; J. Thyroid
Name that gland: 1. Pituitary; 2. Thyroid; 3. Thymus; 4. Adrenals;
5. Pancreas; 6. Ovaries; 7. Pineal Gland; 8. Hypothalamus; 9. Testes
Department:
Science and Technology
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
9.
Moody Wordsearch
J. Which gland makes
hormones that help
you grow and stay
full of energy?
science
& technology
28
Word Bank
4.
H. What hormone does
the pancreas make?
1.
2.
3.
8.
Adrenals
Endocrine
Glandman
Growth
Hormone
Hypothalamus
Ovaries
Parathyroids
Pineal Gland
Pituitary
Testes
Thyroid
G
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NRF SAASTA
National Research
Foundation
South African Agency for Science
and Technology Advancement
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