E. coli makes a vital hormone
Somatotropin is one of the body's important chemicals. Produced by the tiny pituitary gland at the base of the brain, it promotes normal physical growth, hence its other name, human growth hormone (HGH). The chemical is vital in the treatment of a certain form of dwarfism. Unless children who are deficient in the hormone receive injections of HGH, they rarely reach five feet in height. The supply, however, is severely limited: somatotropin can only be obtained from cadavers, and about 50 of the pea-sized glands are needed to...
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