Boffins close to building life

Scientists have said they are just months away from creating an artificial life form.

Researchers working for bioresearcher Craig Venter say that they have successfully synthesised the genome for the bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium out of base chemicals. The result is the largest artificial genome ever created, with 582,000 base pairs of genetic code in 485 genes.

“This is an exciting advance for our team and the field. However, we continue to work toward the ultimate goal of inserting the synthetic chromosome into a cell and booting it up to create the first synthetic organism,” said Dan Gibson, lead author of the research.

The Mycoplasma genitalium bacterium is one of the simplest fully mapped genomes and the team assembled it out of entirely synthetically produced DNA. The next stage is to add a new synthetic chromosome to the bacteria to kickstart it into life.

The team's long term goal is to build the most efficient life form possible by taking out redundant genes and keeping only those that manage production and growth. In the case of the bacterium it is estimated around 100 of the 485 genes are surplus to requirements.

Looking ahead Venter wants to create tailored organisms that can produce specific substances, like hydrocarbons for the oil industry.

“When we started this work several years ago, we knew it was going to be difficult because we were treading into unknown territory,” said Hamilton Smith, M.D., senior author on the publication.

“Through dedicated teamwork we have shown that building large genomes is now feasible and scalable so that important applications such as biofuels can be developed.”