They create living thing in laboratory bacteria – El Colombiano

Life is not only occurs in nature, it is now also created in the laboratory. Scientists designed and synthesized the genome of a bacterium with minimal genes for life. 473

Nothing less than a new body with minimal code of life

This full progress. another made by the same scientists in 2010 when they made the first cell of self-replicating bacteria, and is a test that genomes can be designed in computer, chemically produced and transplanted into a cell that produces a new controlled cell only by the new genome.

After that, the group led by the controversial Craig Venter and Clyde Hutchison, in order to synthesize a basic cell with the genes needed to sustain life in its simplest form is set, an effort that could lead scientists to understand the function of each gene in the cell.

the amazing breakthrough was published in Science on Thursday. To do their work, the researchers re-use Mycoplasma, the bacteria that has the smallest known genome of any autonomously replicating cell.

In 2010 they had synthesized the genome of Mycoplasma mycoides. In this case, based on existing literature, designed minimal genomes hypothetical in 8 different segments, each of which could be tested to classify their genes as essential or not.

During the design process, also sought to identify the quasi-essential genes, those required for strong growth but not required absolutely for life.

in a series of experiments they inserted transposons (foreign gene sequences) in numerous genes to disrupt its functions and determine which were necessary for the operation of the bacteria.

so by successive experiments were reduced until no more genes to disrupt and genome was as small as they could.

version end, called JCVI-syn3.0 comprises 473 genes, the smallest genome that any autonomous self-replicating cell found in nature.

of these genes, 149 function not known but several homologs have been found potential of several of these genes in other organisms, suggesting that encode universal proteins with functions not determined yet.

“the entire field of biology has been losing a third of what is essential for the life in any cell, “Venter said in his Twitter account.

This cell is a step in the synthetic biology field and opens an unexpected possibilities.