At least the last 10 million years each yeast cell used for the production of beer or bread, had 16 chromosomes. But today, thanks to technology and masters CRISPR DNA from China, we have a yeast… with one chromosome. For reference: people use 46 chromosomes, yeast — 16, but one of them at all fern 1260. And no one knows why.
Why do we have chromosomes?
Really, why? It wanted to know Jisun Qin and his colleagues from the Laboratory of synthetic biology in Shanghai.
Using CRISPR, a tool for editing genes, the team Qin cut button centromere, which held each threadlike chromosome, and then connected them into one long chain. The result is organisms with eight, four and, finally, a “single giant chromosome.”
Whether the new species is that? Good question. Yeast with a smaller number of chromosomes can’t mate normally or even common, but perfectly coped with his own kind. It could indeed be the beginning of a separate artificial.
Why is it even doing? Scientists want to investigate why cells do have chromosomes, therefore, a strange new yeast may be useful. Also, this work was the demonstration of the “large-scale changes of the genome.” One day this technology will be used to create useful forms of life, which was never seen before.
CRISPR helped to create a new kind with one giant chromosome
Ilya Hel