Ryan Holihan
Due: 10/18/10
Biology 101, section # 11
Instructor B. Hanlon
Cells Paper
Dear Grandpa,
I am so happy that my opinion on things matters to you, especially now that I am a student at California State University, Fullerton. I will try and do the best I can to help you understand the subject and implications of the article that you recently read about Dr. Craig Venture and how his company reportedly created the first synthetic cell using a bacterial cell (Callaway, 2010).
I will explain what a bacterial cell is and contrast it with a human (eukaryotic) cell, describe exactly what Dr. Venture did with it, explain the potential applications and limitations of this technology, and then I will tell you why I do not think it is anything to worry about, based on data and logic.
First, let me give you a basic, accurate description of what a bacterial cell is from my text book (Cain, Yoon, and Sing-Cundy, 2007) and then I will tell you how it is different from other cells in your body. A Bacterial cell is a prokaryote: a cell without a true nucleus and other membrane bound cellular compartments. Bacterial cells are everywhere on earth, including inside your own body, with some evidence showing that they where in existence as long as 3.5 billion years ago, making them one of the oldest living organisms on earth! Although bacteria is associated with any number of human diseases, such as tooth decay and black plague, there are also certain types of bacteria that are good for us and are essential to good health, such as the kind of bacteria that is in your small intestine which helps aid in digestion. A basic bacterial cell is delineated by a cell wall which outlines a plasma membrane. Inside the membrane there are no membrane bound cell organelles’, cytoplasm, ribosome’s, a central region where the DNA is located called the nucleoid (which is not bound inside a nucleus), and flagella which is important for the movement of the bacteria. The major differences between a bacterial cell (prokaryote) and a human (eukaryote) cell are significant.
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The cell is the fundamental structural unit of all living organisms. Some cells are complete organisms, such as the unicellular bacteria and protozoa; others, such as nerve, liver, and muscle cells, are specialized components of multi-cellular organisms. Cells range in size from the smallest bacteria-like, which are 0. 1 micrometer in diameter, to the egg yolks of ostriches, which are about 8 cm ( ...
A eukaryote has a true nucleus, a prokaryote does not. Eukaryotic DNA is linear, Prokaryotic DNA is circular. Eukaryotic DNA is complex with proteins and is organized into chromosomes, prokaryotic DNA is not associated with proteins and is not formed into chromosomes. Both types of cells have ribosome’s, but the eukaryotic cells are larger and more complex. The cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell is filled with a complex collection of organelles (many with their own membranes) which perform a complex set of tasks inside the cell, the prokaryotic cell contains no membrane bound organelles which are independent of the plasma membrane. As you can see Grandpa, a bacterial cell and a human cell are very different. Now, let me explain exactly what Dr. Venture and his team did to create the first “synthetic” cell.
The headline of the article suggests that Dr. Venture created the first synthetic cell, however, if you read through the article you will see that this revelation is misleading. What he and his team did was stitch together a genome (a particular order of genetic material, or DNA) and then insert it into a similar bacterial cell, which then divided over and over again creating their target bacterial cell. Stitching and inserting something suggests you already have the materials to do it, so the idea that he created the first synthetic (man-made) cell is highly inaccurate. More importantly, it has been reported that the synthetic genome that he created was nearly a replica of an already existing bacterium (Pollack, 2010).
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Biotechnology Over the past decade, Biotechnology has advanced much to the advantage of many people. We have learned that with certain chemicals, we are able to cut-and-paste the DNA of certain organisms, and alter them to comply to our sociable needs. But this can also affect modern medicine, political factors, economic, and societal balances in our nation. For medicine, Biotechnology has been a ...
Also, inserting foreign genes into organisms has already been done. For example, human insulin is manufactured for diabetics by bacteria containing the human insulin gene and bacterial genes are put into corn plants in order to make them more resistant to herbicides and insects. Grandpa, the truth is that scientists do not know enough about genetics to design a whole code from scratch, however, the achievement of what Dr. Venture has done may not be as insignificant as it may appear.
The idea of more accurately manipulating genetic code has the potential for enormous promise, even if the technology still does not exist to do so. In a New York Times article (Pollack, 2010) Dr. Venture is reported as saying that designing and building synthetic cells will be the basis for a new industrial revolution. His goal is to replace the entire petrochemical industry. For example, Exxon Mobile is giving Synthetic Genomics (Ventures company) $300 million in research financing to design algae that could be used to produce gasoline and diesel fuel. Another company is investing money to improve oil output from its palm tree plantations and is working toward what they call a ‘gasoline tree’. Just think of the complete global change that could be accomplished if we could come up with some sort of new form of energy production, not to mention the impact of what accurately manipulating genetic code has in store for the medical field. Of course, there is also the potential that some form of genetic accident could occur creating a whole new set of problems. For example, what if manipulating the genetic code caused a bacterial epidemic of global proportions. I suggest this as science-fiction, not that I really think that it will happen or even that it has the potential to happen…yet.
Grandpa, you asked me if I think lawmakers should outlaw this kind of genetic research on creating artificial life, but since no one has actually created life from scratch, I think that there is no need to do so or worry about it. The research being done is simply in manipulating genetic code and that has been being done since we first figured out how to cross breed plants! Until there is the possibility of immanent danger I don’t think that research should stop, especially due to the fact that finding a new source of energy could have enormous benefits for the human race.
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Alzheimer's: Genetic Dementia ALZHEIMER'S: Alzheimer's: Genetic Dementia Essay, Research Paper ALZHEIMER'S: GENETIC DEMENTIA Alzheimer's, the disease of the degeneration of the brain, was identified in 1907 by German physician Alois Alzheimer. Four million Americans suffer from the disease which deprives the victim of the ability to remember, think, reason, and eventually coordinate movement. This ...
Sincerely…your favorite grandchild,
Ryan
