Despite containing only 7.5 artificial chromosomes, highly edited strains still survive and replicate. Biologists have developed a yeast whose genome contains over 50% of artificially synthesized DNA. Standard brewing yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) stores its genetic blueprint on 16 chromosomes. In the new strain, 6.5 of these chromosomes were edited and synthesized in the laboratory, while…
On November 8, 2023, after 15 years, the Synthetic Yeast Genome Project 2.0 (Sc2.0) research team announced a significant milestone: all 16 chromosomes of synthesized yeast, including a newly synthesized tRNA chromosome, have been synthesized, creating a yeast strain containing over 50% synthetic DNA. The relevant achievements have been published in Cell, Molecular Cell, and…
Spider silk is a strong animal fiber derived from spiders and can be used to make bulletproof vests. For decades, materials scientists have regarded spider silk as an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic fibers such as nylon and Kevlar fibers, which are currently used in bulletproof clothing manufacturing. However, it is costly and requires a…
Organisms use enzymes to decompose or synthesize substances under mild conditions, often without relying on toxic compounds or extreme high temperature conditions, making them known as “perfect chemists”. However, due to the complexity and variability of enzyme reaction mechanisms, designing their synthesis is one of the most challenging tasks in biochemistry. On February 22nd, David…
What are the minimum genes required for a cell to survive? To answer this question, researchers adopted a design build test cycle strategy to synthesize a Mycoplasma filamentosum chromosome containing only 473 genes, and it can replicate and produce free living bacterial cells during the experimental observation cycle [2]. This smallest cell removed 428 genes…
April 25th is DNA day, a big day in the history of biology, because 68 years ago, on April 25th, 1953, James Watson, Francis Crick, and their colleagues published a paper on the double helix structure of DNA in Nature. Since then, the mystery of DNA structure that has plagued generations has been solved, and…
Plasmid DNA is a small double stranded circular DNA molecule that is exposed (without protein binding), structurally simple, independent of bacterial nucleoid DNA, and has the ability to self replicate. Image plasmids usually carry only a small number of genes, especially those related to antibiotic resistance; In addition, plasmids can be transmitted between different bacterial…
1、 DNA source The double stranded length of DNA is commonly described in units of bp, Kb, Mb, and Gb. 1bp=one base pair; 1kb=1000bp; 1Mb=1000kb; 1Gb=1000Mb. The length of a single stranded DNA is represented by nt, where 10nt=10 base lengths of a single stranded DNA. 1. Genomic DNA (gDNA) Eukaryotes, double stranded linear DNA…
In recent years, CRISPR gene editing technology has attracted great attention due to its enormous potential in the treatment of hereditary diseases. However, the potential off target effects that may occur during gene editing have always been an important safety concern. In addition, different populations have different genetic information, which poses great difficulties in accurately…
CRISPR gene editing is widely recognized as the most significant and groundbreaking breakthrough in life science since the 21st century. It was officially born in 2012 and was recognized by the Nobel Prize in just 8 years. At the end of last year, the first CRISPR based gene editing therapy was approved by the FDA…
01 FDA approved new gene editing therapy for the treatment of OTC deficiency in clinical practice On April 4, 2024, the FDA approved the clinical study approval application for ECUR-506 for the treatment of neonatal patients with ornithine aminotransferase (OTC) deficiency. OTC deficiency, also known as hyperammonemia type II, is an X-linked genetic disease caused…
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the main cancers that threaten life and health, causing a serious social burden. Long term use of NSAIDs can significantly reduce its incidence rate, but it can not be completely prevented and treated. Resection is an early intervention measure that can be combined with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, but…
Abstract Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gaseous microbial metabolite, and its role in intestinal diseases is highly controversial. This is mainly due to the difficulty of accurately measuring H2S and the use of model systems that cannot accurately represent the human intestinal environment for research. In this paper, the engineered Escherichia coli designed by the…
Many microorganisms accumulate compatible solutes to counteract external pressures such as high osmotic pressure, high temperature, drying, and freezing. Among numerous compatible solutes, tetrahydropyrimidine stands out for its significant efficacy in effectively protecting halophilic cells from osmotic pressure imbalance and maintaining the stability of intracellular biomolecules. Recent studies have shown that tetrahydropyrimidine has the potential…
