In a stunning scientific first, researchers have managed to create a tiny artificial bacterial genome with the smallest number of genes ever, as we reported recently. But why is this discovery such a huge deal to scientists?
Researchers were able to create a bacterium that metabolizes nutrients and self-replicates, just like a real, living cell would, but this cell is synthetic and is made with just 473 genes compared to the thousands natural bacteria require, according to a J. Craig Venter Institute statement.
It’s a fascinating discovery because it means that scientists have essentially created the most basic life form possible, allowing them to basically “reconstruct” more complex life forms that could have specific jobs.
Since we all share a common ancestor, all species share genes that are essential to survival. Scientists have been trying to figure out a way to strip down an organism to the very core basics for life, the very minimum number of genes required for survival. The result is this very simple bacterium that can now be redesigned into a new life-form, creating synthetic organisms that can perform jobs like eating up oil spills, manufacturing medical drugs, or creating biofuels.
“A major goal in synthetic biology is to have the capacity to predictably design and build DNA that produces a cell with new and improved biological functions that do not already exist in nature,” reads the institute’s statement on the discovery. “Significant advances have been made in DNA design at the gene and pathway level and in engineering bacteriophage genomes. But, even with all the advances that have been made in genomics and synthetic biology, there is still not a single self-replicating cell in which we understand the function of every one of its genes. Toward this goal, the JCVI/SGI team has been working to understand the gene content of a minimal cell—a cell that has only the machinery necessary for independent life.”
It’s a tremendous step forward for science that could result in some amazing innovations in the coming decades.