more (at source): Carole Lartigue and colleagues removed the bacteria’s entire genome and inserted it into the yeast – an organism that is distant from bacteria on the tree of life.
Yeast is easier to manipulate in the lab and this process allowed the team to alter the genes – in this case, deleting one gene not necessary for bacteria to live.
Scientists are only months away from creating artificial life, it was claimed yesterday. |
Dr Craig Venter – one of the world’s most famous and controversial biologists – said his U.S. researchers have overcome one of the last big hurdles to making a synthetic organism. |
The first artificial lifeform is likely to be a simple man-made bacterium that proves that the technology can work. |
But it will be followed by more complex bacteria that turn coal into cleaner natural gas, or algae that can soak up carbon dioxide and convert it into fuels. |
They could also be used to create new vaccines and antibiotics.
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The prediction came after a breakthrough by the J Craig Venter Institute in Maryland. |
Researchers successfully transferred the DNA of one type of bacteria into a yeast cell, modified it and then transferred it into another bacterial cell. |
The pioneering ‘gene swap’ was performed on a simple species of bacteria called Mycoplasma mycoides. |
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