[AdmSmith]

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker's yeast) has distinctive advantages over other hosts, especially because of the ability of secretion of recombinant proteins. The secretion of protein leads to in vivo complete removal of N-terminal amino acid residue of synthesized foreign protein, which does not usually occur in the production of E. coli-derived recombinant proteins. This also prevents the expressed proteins from being degraded by host cellular protease and makes it possible to easily isolate and purify biologically active recombinant proteins with high recovery yields.

It will have a high economic impact.

[paladinkc]

Hey1 Wasn't this how they "accidentally" came up with the blob that digested everyone in its wake?

[KeyWest]

I agree with the impact but I would think mostly in the drug industry. There may be some future impact when someone finds another use for them outside the body, but right now, all the research is toward disease cure and prevention and a followup of DNA mapping.

The research cited seems to be in the manufacture of "tagged" proteins more or less like the ones manufactured by e-coli. The proteins as they are not the "manufactured" item. That will be what comes out of their use in research. The yeast is only a more efficient method of manufacturing designer proteins for research.

We are really arguing near term Vs long term impact. Right now it is drugs. In time it will be beyond that. But even e-coli is mostly used in the drug industry and for research and limited manufacture of drugs. Outside that, it is still mostly for research.