Creating Artificial DNA: Fact or Fiction?

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In summary: They are trying to create a synthetic version of the bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium. This would be the first organism with a completely synthetic genome. Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin have successfully created an artificial genome by synthesizing DNA fragments and then assembling them into a complete chromosome. This is a major breakthrough in the field of genetics and could have implications for creating new organisms for various purposes. However, this is still a very complex and ongoing process and much more research needs to be done before it can be fully understood and utilized.
  • #1
hagopbul
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Making of dna ?
who it,s done
 
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  • #2
Well do you want the short answer or to take a 3 month course in genetics.

If you just mean how does DNA replicate itself, it splits apart into two chains of DNA, this is fairly easy to do as there are weak bonds between the base pairs.

The base pairs

Adanine
Gaunine
Thymine
Cytosine

image001.jpg


Click to Enlarge.^

May have seen a code like this before to express say a gene

AGCTCTCCCTAAGGG... etcBecause Adanine only pairs with Thymine and Gaunine with Cytosine. The free base pairs in the Nucleus will pair with these to form two strands and two copies, one of which then breaks off.

AGCCT
¦¦ ¦¦¦
TCGGA

I haven't gone into the enzymes and how they achieve this or any great detail, to be frank it's an complicated process, but simply speaking this is how DNA is replicated. As for how it's made, or how a cell splits into two complete cells: mitosis, or what it's made from, a Google search will help there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitosis"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA" Once these chains have been replicated from the DNA nucleus, single strands of DNA can then be used to encode proteins in various areas, I could explain how they do this by using tRNA and mRNA (transposeRNA and messenger RNA) but this is another long winded process involving 3 base pair codons for each protein.

http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~acarpi/NSC/12-dna.htm

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/Codons.html

Here's a list of all the codons and there respective polypeptides(the building blocks of proteins)

You may want to be a bit more specific, this is a large area and a complicated one.
 
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  • #3
If you are asking "How is DNA made in the laboratory?", it isn't. DNA has to be taken from a cell.
 
  • #4
HallsofIvy said:
If you are asking "How is DNA made in the laboratory?", it isn't. DNA has to be taken from a cell.
This site:
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20000228&filename=news&sec_id=4&sid=1

claims artificial DNA created at U of Texas ?? any truth to this ??
 
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  • #5
I "make" DNA everyday in the lab using PCR but I need a template to do this. I just can't make a whole genome.

It is possible to create small DNA strand without any template but this is often based on know sequences. However, there a company that re-engineers genes that will be introduced and expressed at higher level in a non-native species. The company changes the sequence of the gene and basically creates a new version.


Rade said:
This site:
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20000228&filename=news&sec_id=4&sid=1

claims artificial DNA created at U of Texas ?? any truth to this ??

As fas as I know, it is real and the lab is try to create an "artificial" genome using an "DNA" oligo-synthesizer rather than PCR.
 
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Related to Creating Artificial DNA: Fact or Fiction?

1. Who is credited with the discovery of DNA?

The discovery of DNA is commonly credited to James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953. However, the work of many scientists, including Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, contributed to their understanding of DNA's structure.

2. How was DNA first discovered?

DNA was first discovered in the late 1860s by Swiss scientist Friedrich Miescher. He isolated a substance from the nuclei of white blood cells, which he called "nuclein" and is now known as DNA.

3. What is the role of DNA in living organisms?

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the genetic material that carries the instructions for the development, functioning, and reproduction of all living organisms. It contains the genetic code that determines an organism's traits and characteristics.

4. Can DNA be created or synthesized by humans?

DNA can be synthesized in a laboratory using chemical processes, but this is a complex and expensive process. Currently, scientists are able to synthesize short sequences of DNA, but creating an entire genome is still a challenge.

5. Is DNA the same in all living organisms?

No, the DNA sequence varies among different species and even among individuals within the same species. However, all living organisms share the same basic structure and function of DNA as the carrier of genetic information.

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