An artificial bacteria developed by researchers could pave the way for the development of artificial life. This cell, stripped down to the bare minimum needed to constitute a living organism, could also assist biologists searching for the mechanisms underpinning organisms around the world.
Known as JCVI-syn3.0, these cells contain the minimum number of genes needed to multiply and carry on the basic functions of survival. The artificial microorganisms contain just 473 genes, compared with more than 20,000 in our own bodies. Despite this lack of diversity and five years of study, researchers are still uncertain what purpose one-third of the genes serve.
Within the genetic code of the synthetic bacteria, 41 percent of genes code information for processes within the cell, 18 percent support cell structure, 17 percent direct metabolism within fluid of the structure, and an identical number serve to store genetic information.
If the machinery of a cell is thought of as a computer, the genome is the software that directs actions of the mechanism.
"Our attempt to design and create a new species, while ultimately successful, revealed that 32 percent of the genes essential for life in this cell are of unknown function ... All the bioinformatics studies over the past 20 years have underestimated the number of essential genes by focusing only on the known world. This is an important observation that we are carrying forward into the study of the human genome," said J. Craig Venter, CEO of the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), which developed the new organism.
The genome of JCVI-syn3.0 was constructed in eight pieces, before being spliced together in a single coherent set of genetic code.
The first artificial cell, JCVI-syn1.0, was developed in 2010, but those microorganisms were not significantly different from specimens found in nature. This new synthetic bacteria could assist researchers designing biofuels, biologically-based chemicals and new medicines.
Researchers are learning, over time, how DNA codes for various actions and characteristics, allowing investigators to build synthetic life forms. However, the purpose of many genes within each species remains a mystery. By building cells with a minimum amount of code, investigators hope to be better able to understand the basic mechanisms of life.
Creation of the first minimal synthetic bacterial cell was profiled in the journal Science.
