Question

Endotoxins are intracellular not harmful.

(a) True

(b) False

This question was addressed to me by my college professor while I was bunking the class.

I would like to ask this question from Guidelines for Choosing Host-Vector Systems in chapter Utilizing Genetically Engineered Organisms & Medical Applications of Bioprocess Engineering of Bioprocess Engineering

Answer 1

Right answer is (b) False

To explain I would say: If the product is retained intracellularly, then the cell must be lysed (broken) during recovery. Lysis usually results in the release of endotoxins (or pyrogens) from E. coli. Endotoxins are lipopolysaccharides (found in the outer membrane) and can result in undesirable side effects (e.g., high fevers) and death. Thus, purification is an important consideration.