Mouse mitochondrial genome: a step towards a synthetic mouse?
October 18, 2010 in NEWS by Suzanne Elvidge
Following on from the development of the self-replicating synthetic bacterial cell, researchers at the J Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) have created a synthetic mouse mitochondrial genome.
Photo by salssa
Creating the genome used a step-wise approach – first the researchers created 60-nucleotide single strands, and incubated them together to build a number of double-stranded sections. These 75 pieces were synthesised into longer pieces of DNA using the bacteria Escherichia coli, and the researchers isolated the pieces that were in the right order. Finally, these were connected together to produce the full-length genome. The technique is known as isothermal DNA assembly.
Though it’s a long way from creating a mouse from scratch, the sequencing, cloning and recreation of the mouse mitochondrial genome could pave the way towards creating synthetic viral genomes for vaccines, and to create treatments for mitochondrial diseases.
The New York University College of Dentistry is using a genome sequencing methods developed at JCVI to identify microbes associated with tooth decay, through the enrichment of genomic DNA.
The US HHS issues guidance on synthetic DNA http://tiny.cc/fp75h