New life on earth

Scientists have created the first 'semi-artificial' microorganism with genetic code that is completely different from the rest of life on earth.

Researchers believe that the breakthrough results will be the first step to creating microbial life forms that have completely new industrial or medical properties, from which can expand widely. Genetic information in the biological world. It is known that semi-artificial bacteria , based on the regulation of E. coli, have been added a piece of artificial DNA with new genetic characters, raising the genetic sequence from 4 to 6 characters.

The natural genetic code of every living organism is based on a 4-character coded sequence, consisting of the roots G, C, T, A, forming a pair of GC and TA pairs of two twisted strands together. However, the semi-artificial bacteria DNA has two pairs of XY root letters, paired as other genetic code pairs and fully integrated into the genetic code of bacterial DNA. Scientists say semi-artificial E. coli replicates as normal and can pass on new genetic information to future generations. However, it cannot use new coding information to create any other strange proteins, because artificial DNA is added to a pair of genetic codes that are not involved in the normal metabolic functions of the bacteria.

New life form with foreign DNA - (Photo: Disclose.tv)

The new report, published in the journal Nature, says this is the first time scientists have found a way to create bacteria that can work and reproduce with genetic code that is different from the ones that once appeared. on earth more than 3.5 billion years ago.'Life on Earth and all its diversity are encoded into two genetic pairs of DNA, AT and CG. What we did was create a new bacterium that contains a pair of artificial code , 'said Floyd Romesberg Professor of Scripps Research Institute (California, USA). This suggests that there are other solutions to storing the necessary information, bringing us closer to the prospect of extending the DNA of the organism, promising many interesting applications, from next generation drugs to those New form of nanotechnology.

The addition of genetic code with a pair of extra characters reveals the prospect of creating more protein forms than the current level in nature is more than 20 amino acids. In theory, a new genetic code based on 6 pairs of characters would mean more than 200 amino acids.'In principle, we can encode new proteins from artificial amino acids, providing greater power than ever before in the manufacture of proteins for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes, as well as the Laboratory testers with the desired function , 'Professor Romesberg said. This expert added that other areas of application such as nanomaterials have potential to be implemented.

In addition, the researchers stressed that creating such new life forms is less dangerous for society if they fall outside the laboratory. They also cannot be replicated with artificial DNA sequences unless further X and Y radicals are added, in the form of artificial chemicals called 'd5SICS' and 'dNaM' which do not exist in nature. Bacteria also need special proteins to transfer the roots to cells. This form of protein is made from algae and, without the original X, Y, bacterial cells will restore its natural genetic code.