Researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute in La Jolla, California, announced that they have created a cell with what they consider to be the minimal number of genes necessary for a free-living organism – 473. The bacterial ‘mini-me’, named syn3.0, has a genome that was synthesized in the lab by stitching together individual pieces of DNA.
The Venter research team originally began work on this project in 2010, when they injected a synthetic genome into a Mycoplasma mycoides bacterium that had had its original genetic material removed. The 2010 version was not nearly as minimal, however. It had 901 genes. (Humans have more than 22,000.)
This new development in molecular biology opens the way for designer bacteria that can be engineered to produce specific chemical substances, such as medicines and vaccines. The potential benefits are enormous.
One early stumbling block in the streamlining process was that researchers tried to omit genes that seemed useless, only to find out that they were necessary for life. Syn3.0’s genome now has 79 genes whose roles are still completely obscure. In spite of recent advances, scientists still have much to learn.
This new development in molecular biology opens the way for designer bacteria that can be engineered to produce specific chemical substances, such as medicines and vaccines. The potential benefits are enormous.
Read more about it in the Science News article “Year in review: ‘Minimal genome’ makes its debut” by Rachel Ehrenberg.
