Author: Robert Lee Hotz The Wall Street Journal May 21, 2010.

Science Create Synthetic Genome

Author: Robert Lee HotzThe Wall Street Journal

May 21, 2010

Main IdeaA unprecedented advance in science

history: Scientists successfully crafted a “synthetic cell” completely controlled by man-made genetic instructions(inserted genome).

Dr. John Craig Venter

One of Time magazine's 100

most influential people in the world 2007 and 2008.

He founded Synthetic Genome Inc. in 2005 funding $30 million dollars for experiment and intellectual rights(patent).

Picture from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Venter

Synthetic Biologysynthetic biology is a

interdisciplinary subject (computer science, chemistry, molecular biology, genetics

and cell biology), whose goal is to breed industrial life forms which may be able to secrete fuel, vaccine, or other commercial products.

Supporting DetailsPreviously, researchers have been

altering DNA piecemeal to display multiple phenotypes (ex: production of

insulin by yeast cell). For the first time, scientists

generated an entire artificial cell (a bacterium) with predetermined properties.

Picture from: http://erahightech.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html

Bioengineer Daniel Gibson and J. C. Venter replaced the genome inside bacteria Mycoplasma capricolum with a modified genome of another bacteria Mycoplasma mycoides. They called the synthetic cell Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0.

http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/whats-synthetic-biology-1083/http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/smart-takes/scientists-unveil-first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/7256/

Mycoplasma capricolum

Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0

Supporting Details

They documented the sequence of 1 million base pairs of the genome of Mycoplasma mycoides into file, edited the file and sent to a DNA sequencing company to produce real DNA fragments according to the file.

Then they meld the pieces by yeasts and bacteria, assembled into the whole sequence and inserted it into Mycoplasma capricolum

Supporting Details

Posed Issues An advance on synthetic life raised

new questions on the nature of life: is the cell a real “synthetic life”? Or merely a genetic engineering product?

The research also raised ethical issues on artificial life: Is it ethically permissible to manipulate life? If yes, to what extent?

Comments"It has the potential to transform genetic

engineering. The research is going to explode.“(David Magnus, Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics)

http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/bioethics/faculty/David_Magnus

Comments"I don't think it represents the creation of an

artificial life form, I view this as an organism with a synthetic genome, not as a synthetic organism. It is tough to draw where the line is.“

(James Collins, biomedical engineer, Boston University)

http://www.bu.edu/bme/people/primary/collins/

CommentsFriends of the Earth quickly issued a

statement to “fully regulate” all synthetic biology experiments and products.

The ETC group even claimed global moratorium on synthetic biology.

"It is very much within divine mandate that we do these things." (theologian Nancey Murphy)

"You have to have a way of tracking it.” (Stanford ethicist Mildred Cho)

http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=263292

http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/bioethics/faculty/Mildred_Cho/

Comments

Poll conducted on online.wsj.com

Word BankOversee (v.) 監督Piecemeal (n.)片段、塊Menagerie(n.)供展覽的野生動物Craft (v.)精心製作Leery (adj.)機敏的、猜疑的Advent(n.)來臨Play down (v.phr.)貶低…的重要性Solely (adv.)僅僅、完全 (=merely)Microbe (n.)微生物

Word BankPatent (n.)專利權 (智慧財產權 intellectual

property rights)Moratorium(n.)暫停、中止Theologian (n.)神學家Denomination (n.)宗派Seminary (n.)神學院Culmination (n.)頂點、高峰Scrutiny (n.)仔細檢查、監督Panel (n.)面板；專門小組Consortium (n.)合夥

Word BankCustomize (v.)定做Meld (v.)合併Stitch (v.)縫合Apt (adj.)適合的Watermark (n.)水印Pose (v.)造成、引起 (問題、爭議等等 )

Referenceshttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/science/

21cell.htmlhttp://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/s

mart-takes/scientists-unveil-first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/7256/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Venterhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052

748703559004575256470152341984.html