An international team of scientists from the University of California in the US and the University of Rome Tor Vergata in Italy has created synthetic genes that can be converted from modular blocks into intracellular structures. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Nature Communications (NatComms).
Complex organisms develop from a single cell through successive division and differentiation events. These processes involve multiple biomolecules coordinated by gene sequences that control the timing and location of activation.
Molecular signals trigger the splicing of gene sequences in a specific order. For example, in fruit flies, such a mechanism controls the formation of body parts.
In the new study, scientists used DNA building blocks made from multiple synthetic DNA strands. They then created a solution containing millions of these tiles, which interact with each other to form micron-scale tubular structures.
The structures formed only in the presence of a specific RNA molecule that triggered the process. Another RNA trigger molecule can also cleave the resulting structures.
The researchers also programmed various synthetic genes to release signaling RNAs at specific times. The result was an artificial genetic cascade that could control the formation and destruction of DNA structures.
According to scientists, their discoveries may find application in synthetic biology, medicine and biotechnology.
Previous researchers returned Reversal of brain aging in fruit flies.