Weird science

Using four bottles of chemicals – each containing one of the four building blocks of DNA – US scientists have built a million base pair bacterium genome. This synthetic genome was then injected into a second, closely related bacterium, where it took over the machinery of the other bacterium, turning-out proteins and other cellular components for the synthetic bacterium.

Dr J. Craig Venter, a genome-mapping pioneer, and his team announced their breakthrough in a report published in the journal Science on Friday. Speaking to reporters, Venter said that the synthetic genome could be compared to computer software, while the cell itself is the actual computer. The cell reads the updated software and starts manufacturing something new.

Venter also said this approach is an order of magnitude different than the standard procedure in synthetic biology, which usually involves making molecular changes in less than a handful of genes.

Venter's colleague, Dr John Glass, told Deutsche Welle that this technique also opens the door for more organisms to be used in synthetic biology:

"There are many organisms that have properties that might make them useful for industry, for pharmaceuticals, for the environment that we have no genetic tools for. This organism that we work with, no genetic tools at all essentially, and now this kind of work will enable great discoveries, great advances to be made," he said.

Technological milestone

So is this research truly groundbreaking or is it just another tool for biologists? Dr John Dueber, an assistant professor of bioengineering at the University of California at Berkeley, told Deutsche Welle it's a technological milestone.

Dueber sees advantages in being able to design a genome on a computer and then building that genome from the ground-up, but doubts this will immediately replace the technique that removes a single gene or adds a few mutations:

“Both approaches have their merits and I don't think this replaces those old techniques, I think they'll be used together in harmony," he said.

Dueber also sees challenges ahead. One reason the synthetic genome could take over the machinery in the other bacterium is that the two bacteria are closely related. He said there is still some question as to what would happen when a synthetic genome has more differences with its potential target cell.

Fear factor and practical use

But discovery often goes hand in hand with risk and some people fear synthetic organisms could escape from the laboratory and wreak havoc. To prevent potential problems, the Venter Institute scientists eliminated 14 genes from the synthetic genome. Disabling the bacteria's ability to infect the one animal it could - goats.

Doctor Venter admits that 99 percent of their experiments failed and required debugging. They also plan to eliminate more genes so the synthetic bacteria will only exist in the laboratory. Venter says the scientists are keeping the potential problem in mind.

Beyond that, of course, there is the inevitable question: what are the practical applications? The Venter Institute is working with Exxon Mobil to develop new strains of algae that would capture carbon dioxide to make new hydrocarbons that would be refined into gasoline or diesel.

The researchers also say this technique might be used for next year's flu vaccine. That's because the Venter team says it can make a flu vaccine in less than 24 hours. Though the scientists admit it would take a serious flu pandemic for the US government to waive current requirements.

Author: Laura Iiyama (mrm)
Editor: Stuart Tiffen