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Saturday, March 29, 2014

Scientists Synthesize First Functional "Designer" Chromosome in Yeast



Over the last five years, scientists have built bacterial chromosomes and viral DNA, but this is the first report of an entire eukaryotic chromosome, the threadlike structure that carries genes in the nucleus of all plant and animal cells, built from scratch. Researchers say their team's global effort also marks one of the most significant advances in yeast genetics since 1996, when scientists initially mapped out yeast's entire DNA code, or genetic blueprint.

"This work represents the biggest step yet in an international effort to construct the full genome of synthetic yeast," says Dr. Boeke. "It is the most extensively altered chromosome ever built. But the milestone that really counts is integrating it into a living yeast cell. We have shown that yeast cells carrying this synthetic chromosome are remarkably normal. They behave almost identically to wild yeast cells, only they now possess new capabilities and can do things that wild yeast cannot."


Learn more about this discovery:http://communications.med.nyu.edu/med...


Learn more about the Institute for Systems Genetics:http://research.med.nyu.edu/systemsge...


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