Synthetic Cell

A research team at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), working under Dr. J. Craig Venter created the first ever "synthetic living cell", capable of replication. The research team succesfully designed in a computer and chemically produced (piece by piece) a working sample of DNA with approximately 1.08 million base pairs in the single chromosome. They accomplished this task about two years ago and have only recently accomplished the integration of the chromosome into a cell, working as the sole chromosome in the target.

The research team created a modified Mycoplasma mycoides genome, then replaced this modified synthetic genome with that of a living bacterium (in this case the recipient cell was Mycoplasma capricolum), naming the new cell Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0. The replacement was successful and produced a self-replicating cell controlled only by the synthetic genome.

This is a major breakthrough in the science world because the ability to synthesize DNA and then actually implant that synthesized DNA back into an organism has always eluded researchers. This research team demonstrated many important techniques such as the actual creation of a full genome, along with the ability to perform an error correction test which tested the biological functionality of every piece of DNA constructed. This now allows for the true understanding of DNA and all its segments. Their next project seeks to amplify our understanding of essential genes in a cell by creating a minimal genome, which excises all unnecessary pieces of the sequence, creating the "bare minimum" for life.

http://www.jcvi.org/cms/press/press-releases/full-text/article/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell-constructed-by-j-craig-venter-institute-researcher/