It’s Lit!

On By Wild World of Wonder

In a world where electrically based devices are literally everywhere, it is difficult to ever imagine another legitimate powering system that could achieve the same dynamic functionality of traditional circuitry based technologies. But contrary to popular conceptions in the greater American public, there already exists alternative substantial powering systems in nature. Although these systems do not boast the same robust control-ability that integrated circuitry provides they ultimately still achieve the same goal of periodic activation. Discussed in one of our previous postings, “What Emits Light Without Casting a Shadow?” , the internal symbiotic relationship between the Hawaiian Bobtail Squid and Aliivibrio fischeri bacteria has been found to be one of the most intriguing naturally occurring, light emitting systems in the world. Expanding upon initial observations of the squid-bacteria system, a startup company has developed a light emitting plant via genetic engineering.

Fig. 1: The illuminated, Arabidopsis plant

After initially trying and failing to simply splice the genes of the bacteria with that of the Arabidopsis plant, the company began to tinker with the genetic structure needed to achieve bioluminescence within the plant. The company used the novel approach of iterating through various DNA arrangements with the help of genetic sequencing software called Genetic Compiler and Golden Braid. Computer aided iteration of chemical structures allowed for an expedited process to determine proper genetic makeup for light emitting gene expression. After developing gene models, the kick starter company then with the help of DNA assembling businesses were able to come up with a suitable gene DNA sequence.

Next, the gene was incorporated into the plant leaves using Agrobacterium tumefaciens bacteria. This pathogenic bacteria is known for inserting its own genetic material into host plant cells. However, a controlled neutralized version can act as a vector to introduce the synthesized genetic coding into plant leaf cells. After initial findings from this implantation, the company established a goal of determining the best genetically sequenced codes for optimal light emitting performance by experimenting with ~1500 different sequences. However, in order to accomplish their ultimate goal of a commercially available product, they first had to overcome the demands of the United States department of Agriculture. The USDA considers the tumefaciens bacteria as a potential health risk, thus the company overcame this burden by incorporating the use of a gene gun as the prime method for synthesized gene integration instead of using a bacterial vector.

Fig. 2: Gene Gun Process Diagram

It seems that the company will eventually become successful in creating bioengineered plant seeds that can be readily purchased online; their site allows individuals to go ahead and begin pre-ordering of the seeds. Although this is a basic example of a fun but relatively limited use product, the main underlying concept of genetic engineering to accomplish astounding phenotype behavior in organisms is the truly inspiring consideration. Although still questionable in terms of ethics regarding tampering with natural organism design, the promise of alleviating many genetically caused abnormalities in both humans and other species is too compelling not to explore. Regenerative ability, improved physical capabilities, and heightened sensory efficiency are only a few examples of the types of technology they may be possible given sufficient research and development into genetic engineering.

But before we start mixing organism DNA haphazardly, there firstly should be extensive consideration given to researching the long term effects of artificially initiated genetic alterations. Proper gene expression might be accomplished in one generation however a malicious, never before seen, untreatable genetic mutation may arise in following generations of kin. Or similarly the foreign introduced genetic coding may even corrupt a properly functioning genetic sequence introducing problems where there were none before. In summary, given these particular successful findings from experimentation as well as other current research projects, genetic engineering will most likely become a more significant field of investigation in the near future. Therefore it is the responsibility of us humans to always be fully aware of all the possible outcomes, whether good or bad that these experimentation may encompass; our collective focus should always center around specific application, function, and results both intended and not.

–PRS

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