Novel artificial genomic DNA can replicate and evolve outside the cell
Hopes for the construction of artificial cells that can grow and evolve autonomously

Date:
November 19, 2021
Source:
Japan Science and Technology Agency
Summary:
Scientists successfully induced gene expression from a DNA and
evolution through continuous replication extracellularly using
cell-free materials alone for the first time. By adding the genes
necessary for transcription and translation to the artificial
genomic DNA, it could be possible to develop artificial cells
that can grow autonomously, and it will be expected to produce
efficient useful substances.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Professor Norikazu Ichihashi and his colleagues at the University of Tokyo
have successfully induced gene expression from a DNA, characteristic of
all life, and evolution through continuous replication extracellularly
using cell-free materials alone, such as nucleic acids and proteins for
the first time.


==========================================================================
The ability to proliferate and evolve is one of the defining
characteristics of living organisms. However, no artificial materials with these characteristics have been created. In order to develop an artificial molecular system that can multiply and evolve, the information (genes)
coded in DNA must be translated into RNA, proteins must be expressed,
and the cycle of DNA replication with those proteins must continue over
a long period in the system. To date, it has been impossible to create
a reaction system in which the genes necessary for DNA replication are expressed while those genes simultaneously carry out their function.

The group succeeded in translating the genes into proteins and replicating
the original circular DNA with the translated proteins by using a circular
DNA carrying two genes necessary for DNA replication (artificial genomic
DNA) and a cell-free transcription-translation system(1). Furthermore,
they also successfully improved the DNA to evolve to a DNA with a 10-fold increase in replication efficiency by continuing this DNA replication
cycle for about 60 days.

By adding the genes necessary for transcription and translation to the artificial genomic DNA developed by the group, it could be possible to
develop artificial cells that can grow autonomously simply by feeding
them low- molecular-weight compounds such as amino acids and nucleotides,
in the future.

If such artificial cells can be created, we can expect that useful
substances currently produced using living organisms (such as substances
for drug development and food production) will become more stable and
easier to control.

This research has been led by Professor Norikazu Ichihashi, a research
director of the project "Development of a self-regenerative artificial
genome replication-transcription-translation system" in the research
area "Large-scale genome synthesis and cell programming" under the JST's Strategic Basic Research Programs CREST (Team type). In this research
area, JST aims to elucidate basic principles in relation to the structure
and function of genomes for the creation of a platform technology for
the use of cells.

*(1) A cell-free transcription and translation system A reaction solution containing all the factors necessary for the RNA transcription from
genes encoded in DNA and translation into proteins outside the cell. The present study used the reconstituted PURE system (Shimizu et al.

Nat Biotechnol. 2001), composed entirely of purified, known proteins
and RNA.

Hence, the system is free of unknown elements. This system was developed
by Yoshihiro Shimizu (RIKEN Center for Frontier Biosciences) and his
colleagues in the Takuya Ueda's laboratory at the University of Tokyo.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Japan_Science_and_Technology_Agency. Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Hiroki Okauchi, Norikazu Ichihashi. Continuous Cell-Free Replication
and
Evolution of Artificial Genomic DNA in a Compartmentalized Gene
Expression System. ACS Synthetic Biology, 2021; DOI: 10.1021/
acssynbio.1c00430 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211119155610.htm

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