Successful construction of a complete living cell model for the first time
American bioengineers from the Craig Venter Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, along with their German colleagues, have taken another important step in understanding the mystery of life by creating a detailed computer simulation of the latest simple microbe.
“We have developed a complete three-dimensional kinetic model of a small living cell that perfectly mimics the processes that occur in a real cell,” said Zida Lotti Schulten, a chemist at the University of Illinois.
“Our model provides a window into the inner workings of the cell, showing how all of its components interact and change in response to internal and external stimuli. This model – and others that are more complex – will help us better understand the basic principles of life.”
Lottie Schulten led a team of researchers who analyzed the diverse genetic, metabolic and structural changes that occur in a synthetic bacterial culture, referred to as JCVI-syn3A.
To mimic the work of the simplest organisms of natural origin, such as various species of mycoplasma or the very common microbe Escherichia coli, still requires significant simplification to simulate the work of its many subsystems. Compiling a complete set of detailed descriptions of the entire organism, from genes to nutrition, is still not possible even for these relatively simple bacteria.
After removing the maximum number of genes from Mycoplasma mycoides, a small bacterium of the genus Mycoplasma, receiving a streamlined artificial life form that is about to survive, but is still able to feed and reproduce.
This model, referred to as JCVI-syn1.0, was soon replaced by the simpler JCVI-syn3.0.
This updated copy contained only 531 kb, divided into 473 genes. Since the Lab provides all of her nutritional needs, her naked genome has been left to take care of reproduction and growth, and nothing else. However, JCVI-syn3.0 was not completely stable, and several genes were subsequently inserted again, resulting in the final version of JCVI-syn3A miniature cell.
Its creators have a clear idea of what genes their artificial cell contains, although they are still trying to figure out exactly who is responsible, and this is where the new computer model should help them.
Now that the simulation of JCVI-syn3A growth and development has been validated, researchers can extend it again to learn how different genes affect specific cellular functions.
An article about this was published in the journal Cell.
