Scientists BUILD a cell from scratch: Synthetic organism can feed, grow, copy its DNA and divide in world-first breakthrough
Scientists have built a synthetic cell from scratch, a world first, paving the way for creating completely artificial life forms.
The tiny droplets, called SpudCell, are about 50 times smaller than a normal bacterium and consist of microscopic water droplets coated with an oily membrane.
This bubble is filled with enzymes, chemicals, and tiny DNA fragments that allow the SpudCell to carry out some of the basic functions of life.
According to its creators, this synthetic cell can now feed, grow, copy its DNA, divide and even change over generations in a process similar to evolution.
This isn’t the first time scientists have attempted to create synthetic life; But unlike previous initiatives, SpudCell was built entirely from scratch.
Scientists hope these cells could one day revolutionize medicine by acting like mini biological factories, pumping out drugs and other chemicals.
Lead author Professor Kate Adamala, from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, said: ‘We have replicated in chemistry what was previously possible in biology: the entire set of behavior of a cell.
‘It proves that the most basic functions of life, such as growth and reproduction, do not require a mysterious, magical spark.’
Scientists have built a synthetic cell from scratch, a world first, paving the way for creating completely artificial life forms.
Rather than breaking down and regenerating existing cells, these nearly living bubbles are made of artificial chemicals.
Like all living organisms, SpudCell contains DNA sequences that contain instructions for producing all the proteins the cell needs to survive.
SpudCell also contains a type of biochemical toolkit called ‘PURE’, which contains everything the cell needs to translate these DNA instructions into proteins.
While a human genome contains approximately three billion pairs of DNA, SpudCell contains only 90,000 pairs of DNA.
Biologists had previously suggested that the smallest genome a living cell could have was 113,000 pairs, making this synthetic organism much smaller than the theoretical limit.
This means that SpudCell is much simpler and much less complex than even the most basic life form.
However, despite the simplicity of its genetic code, these fat bubbles are still able to replicate many basic functions of life.
SpudCells can be fed by combining with tiny ‘nutritional’ liposomes, which are hollow spheres made of fatty lipids that contain all the nutrients the cell needs to function.
The tiny droplets, called SpudCell, are about 50 times smaller than a normal bacterium and consist of microscopic water droplets coated with an oily membrane.
Its DNA contains instructions for using this food to create copies of its genetic code and prepare it for reproduction.
Cells can even undergo a basic form of division by filling their membranes with a protein that creates a repulsive force, essentially tearing the cell apart at the seams.
Most impressively, cells appear to have the ability to engage in natural selection over multiple generations.
In a published experiment a preprint paperScientists gave some SpudCells a mutation that helps them collect more food and grow faster.
After five generations, these mutated cells outcompeted their competitors, and 60 percent of the genomes contained the mutation.
To further develop the concept, Professor Adamala and his co-authors founded a public interest research organization called Biotic.
However, Professor Adamala warns that this does not mean SpudCells is alive.
The process of selection cannot be considered evolution because the researchers found that the mutation had to be introduced from outside rather than occurring naturally.
These artificial cells can feed, grow, divide, and even change over generations through selection and competition. But their creators say they are not alive
SpudCells also cannot naturally divide over many generations, and the researchers had to pass them through a membrane with tiny holes to achieve multiple rounds of division.
This process is also incredibly crude compared to the division that occurs in real cells.
Because SpudCells don’t break themselves down evenly, they don’t always get the correct number of genomes in the finished offspring.
After five cycles of division, the researchers found that only 30 percent of the cells still carried the complete genome.
Prof John Dupré, a philosopher and founder of the Center for Life Sciences Studies at the University of Exeter, told the Daily Mail: ‘This work is undoubtedly technically very impressive. Whether this “will ultimately form the basis of all diverse applications in biotechnology” is more debatable.
‘Even if we assume that synthetic biology will eventually produce entities with all the capacities of a living bacterial cell, it is doubtful whether this will be a more effective technology than the modification of naturally evolved cells.’
Scientists also criticized the publication of the article, which was made public without peer review. Reportedly rejected by Cell magazine.
Professor Kerstin Göpfrich, a molecular biologist at the University of Heidelberg, told the Daily Mail: ‘History has shown many times that press coverage can go wrong before peer review. It would be a good ethical standard to refrain from reporting until the article has gone through the normal peer review procedure.’
