"A long way off but a step in the right direction".
Posted on 03/29/2021 12:31:53 PM PDT by BenLurkin
In a new first for genetic engineering, scientists have developed a single-celled synthetic organism that grows and divides much like a normal cell, mimicking aspects of the cell division cycle that underlies and generates healthy living cellular life.
The achievement, demonstrated in an engineered unicellular bacteria-like life form called JCVI-syn3A, is the result of decades of genomic sequencing and analysis by scientists, exploring the roles individual genes play inside living creatures.
This organism, called JCVI-syn3.0, only possessed 473 genes in total – shorter than any known self-sustaining, living organism in the natural world.
But while JCVI-syn3.0's miniaturized genetic toolkit enabled it to perpetuate itself via cell division, it did so in an unusual way, producing "striking morphological variation" in the new cells it created, which emerged in a variety of different shapes and sizes.
Now, members of the same research team have figured out a way to prevent these strange morphologies from occurring, with a newly modified variant of JCVI-syn3.0, known as JCVI-syn3A.
With the addition of 19 genes not present in JCVI-syn3.0, the newfangled JCVI-syn3A is able to undergo cell division in a more normal-looking, consistent way, with significantly less morphological variation than JCVI-syn3.0 exhibited.
Despite the several years of work behind the achievement, there's still a huge amount of mystery wrapped up in these genes.
For example, while JCVI-syn3A features 19 new genes, only 7 genes are thought to play a role in making its cell division processes run in a more regular fashion. And of those seven, only two genes – called ftsZ and sepF – have had their functions identified.
Quite how the other five necessarily contribute to JCVI-syn3A's morphological consistency remains unknown, but one thing is certain: this tiny genome now represents the new standard
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencealert.com ...
Yes that is true, I’m not sure he had that though as I heard HPV is very treatable, but who knows, he might have ignored symptoms for a long time. I know the actor Michael Douglas had it 8 years ago he’s still around
"A long way off but a step in the right direction".
Questions of this type were the first thing I thought of: did they create cell wall, organelles, mitochondria ects
Same thing I was thinking.😵
So,they didn’t supply their own dirt.🤔
I think a lot of people that have HPV, don’t know they have it.
They like to call it, "Wuhan". Thanks BenLurkin.
“JCVI-syn3A”
The wages of syn...
Does it come with a fortune cookie?
This must be what my fortune cookie meant by, "kaboom!"
I think I’ve seen this movie...
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