British scientists develop new genetically modified bacterial strain – Health

British scientists have developed a new strain of Escherichia coli with a genetically recoded genome.

According to researchers from the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, the genetic code is known to consist of triplets of nucleotides, called codons, responsible for synthesising proteins essential for life. In nature, there are 64 codons, although only 21 are required to produce 20 amino acids plus a stop signal. The newly developed strain now contains just 57 codons instead of the usual 64.

This development has resulted in the most compact genome among known organisms. By reducing the number of codons, scientists have freed part of the DNA code, creating the potential to design and use novel amino acids not found in nature.

In 2019, scientists created the Syn61 strain with 61 codons, which required 18,000 DNA modifications.

In the latest study, a team led by synthetic biologist Wesley Robertson carried out more than 100,000 modifications, producing a new strain named Syn57. Robertson noted that Syn57 currently grows four times slower than standard Escherichia coli, but researchers believe further adjustments could improve its growth rate. The earlier Syn61 strain is already used to produce more reliable medicines.

Robertson described the new strain as having a radically recoded genome, exemplifying the ability of synthetic biology to transfer genetic sequences into “realms inaccessible to natural life”.

The significance of this engineered bacterium lies in its potential to help create bacteria with unique virus-resistant properties, opening new horizons for the development of innovative medicines and advanced materials. It marks an important step forward in the fields of synthetic biology and genetic engineering.

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