Article: Scientists have achieved a new milestone in the field of synthetic biology, creating a living organism whose DNA is entirely human-made. The researchers at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Britain have rewritten the DNA of the bacterium Escherichia coli. This synthetic genome is four times larger and significantly more complex than any created before.
The Remarkable Synthetic Genome
The research team from the Medical Research Council Laboratory constructed the genome that will allow cells to operate according to a new set of biological rules. The synthetic genome is a detailed mixture of four bases – adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine, which are the building blocks of genes. These genes guide cells to choose among twenty amino acids that make proteins- the labor force of every cell. Proteins perform numerous tasks in the body, from oxygen transport in the blood to generating force in our muscles.
The Journey to Synthetic Genome Creation
The journey towards producing a synthetic genome began in earnest in 2010. The first synthetic genome was one million base pairs long. Fast forward to today, the newly developed E. coli genome is quadruple the size- four million base pairs long; such an extraordinary feat requiring entirely novel methods for construction.
Benefits of Synthetic Genomes in Industrial Applications
Genetically engineered microbes have been advantageous to many industrial firms, serving as effective tools to produce crucial substances like insulin or useful chemicals like detergent enzymes. However, viral outbreaks can spell disaster for these fermentation tanks. This is where synthetic microbes come in to save the day. These microbes, immune to such attacks, could provide the much-needed defenses against viral outbreaks.
Additionally, recoding DNA could provide the opportunity to program engineered cells that become non-functional if they escape into other species, creating a genetic firewall.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Creation of first synthetic genome one million base pairs long |
| 2022 | Creation of E. coli genome synthesised in lab, four million base pairs long |
Future Prospects and Challenges with Synthetic Genomes
Rewriting life through synthetic genomes can revolutionize fields such as medicine. It has the potential to create organisms that yield novel drugs and other valuable substances, serving as living factories. Simultaneously, these synthetic bacteria may offer insights into the evolution of the genetic code in primeval life.
Despite these exciting prospects, synthesizing a genome and substituting synthetic genes for evolution-created ones pose significant challenges. Constructing a genome that is four million base pairs long in a lab and forcing it into a cell in one attempt proved to be overwhelming. As such, the researchers constructed smaller segments of the new genetic code and gradually swapped them with the original E. coli genome.
As a result, the bacteria, although alive and functioning, grow more slowly than regular E. coli and develop into longer rod-shaped cells. The costs associated with bonding bases to create genomes also remain notably high, proving to be another challenging hurdle on the path to DNA synthesis and modification.
