First Ever 'Designer Chromosome' Built From Scratch

Scientists have synthesized one of the 16 chromosomes in baker's yeast. Image credit: Knorre/shutterstock In a significant step forward for synthetic biology, researchers have built a synthetic yeast chromosome---the first ever from a eukaryotic cell. This could help geneticists better understand how genomes work and stretch the existing limits of synthetic biology to make novel medications, more efficient biofuels and perhaps even better beer. Unlike prokaryotic cells, such as bacteria, which just have a jumble of DNA in their middles, eukaryotic cells contain a nucleus and a much more complicated chromosome-based DNA arrangement. These cells make up all more complex life, including animals and plants. Researchers have previously synthesized bacterial DNA, but this is the first time they've been able to synthesize the larger and more complicated DNA of a eukaryote. The chromosome in question belongs to good ol' baker's yeast, which is at the heart of many a synthetic biology experiment. The researchers focused on one of the yeast's 16 chromosomes: Number 3, which controls mating and genetic change.