Artists usually sign their work – and genomics pioneer Craig Venter is no exception. Written into the sequence of the synthetic bacterial genome unveiled last week is his name, his institute’s, plus those of other key researchers involved.
The genome, modelled on the parasite Mycoplasma genitalium, is the longest stretch of synthetic DNA ever produced, at around 580,000 bases. “We’re pretty damned proud of what we’ve done, and we wanted to sign it,” says Venter. To make their marks, the team took the one-letter abbreviations for amino acids – “C” for cysteine, “R” for arginine, “A” for alanine, and so on – and included the corresponding DNA sequences in their synthetic genome (Science, ).
These “watermarks” also have a serious purpose. The plan is to transplant the synthetic genome into a living Mycoplasma cell, in the hope that it will “boot up”. The watermark sequences will provide a good way of verifying if the transplant is successful by allowing researchers to distinguish between artificial and natural DNA. Venter adds that the watermarks will also help protect the group’s intellectual property, making it harder for others to use the synthetic genome without permission.
Advertisement
“The DNA watermarks will provide a way to protect the team’s intellectual property”
Drew Endy, a bioengineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, agrees that synthetic biologists should “barcode” their products. This would allow for the rapid detection of synthetic DNA, which may ease growing concerns over the risks of organisms that contain synthetic sequences escaping into the environment. It could also provide an identity tag with information about a sequence.
But Endy urges synthetic biologists to agree on a standardised watermark system, and to research methods that will ensure that such “barcode” sequences do not cause unpredictable biological effects.
GM Organisms – Is GM the future? Learn more in our continually updated special report.
Genetics – Keep up with the pace in our continually updated special report.
