Genome designers

2004/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Biologia

The goal of many scientists is now to design synthetic living beings. Design a sequence of DNA from which to create a complete life. It was the first time they managed to build the synthetic polio virus last year and have now achieved it for the second time: they have developed a virus that infects bacteria, the well-known bacteriophago Phi-X174.

They have done so based only on the basic components of life, that is, on the nucleotides that form the DNA. They have not used any other component. In short, the secret is to design DNA well. As the genetic sequence of the Phi X174 virus is known, they have created such a common sequence using a technique similar to PCR. And this part of DNA has been able to infect and reproduce bacteria, as well as conventional viruses.

Craig Venter, a controversial U.S. researcher, is responsible for this achievement and, although the genome of this virus has only 5,000 pairs of bases, he has manifested his intention to try with larger genomes.