Amaseli amancane okwenziwa: Ukudala impilo eyanele yocwaningo lwezokwelapha

• About the Author:
• Igama lomlobi

  I-Quantumrun Foresight
• December 23, 2022

Isifinyezo sokuqonda

Ukuhlola izinto ezibalulekile zokuphila, ososayensi bebenciphisa ama-genome ukuze bakhe amangqamuzana amancane, beveza imisebenzi ewumongo edingekayo empilweni. Le mizamo iye yaholela ekutholakaleni okungalindelekile nezinselele, njengokuma kwamangqamuzana angavamile, okubangela ukuthuthukiswa okwengeziwe nokuqonda izinto ezibalulekile zofuzo. Lolu cwaningo luvula indlela yentuthuko kubhayoloji yokwenziwa, ngokusetshenziswa okungenzeka ekuthuthukisweni kwezidakamizwa, ucwaningo lwezifo, kanye nemithi yomuntu siqu.

Amaseli amancane okwenziwa umongo

Amaseli okwenziwa amancane amancane noma ukunciphisa i-genome kuyindlela yokwenziwa yebhayoloji yokwenziwa yokuqonda ukuthi ukusebenzisana phakathi kwezakhi zofuzo ezibalulekile kubangela kanjani izinqubo ezibalulekile zomzimba. Ukunciphisa i-genome kusebenzise indlela yokuklama-yakha-hlola-yokufunda ethembele ekuhlolweni nasekuhlanganisweni kwezingxenye ze-genomic ze-modular kanye nolwazi olusuka ku-transposon mutagenesis (inqubo yokudlulisa ufuzo kusuka kumsingathi oyedwa kuya komunye) ukusiza ukuqondisa ukususwa kofuzo. Le ndlela yanciphisa ukuchema lapho kutholwa izakhi zofuzo ezibalulekile futhi yanikeza ososayensi amathuluzi okushintsha, ukwakha kabusha, nokufunda i-genome nalokho ekwenzayo.

Ngo-2010, ososayensi base-US-based J. Craig Venter Institute (JVCI) bamemezele ukuthi baqede ngempumelelo i-DNA ye-bacterium i-Mycoplasma capricolum futhi esikhundleni sayo bafaka i-DNA eyenziwe ngekhompyutha esekelwe kwelinye ibhaktheriya, i-Mycoplasma mycoides. Ithimba liqambe umzimba walo omusha elithi JCVI-syn1.0, noma 'Synthetic,' ngamafuphi. Lesi sidalwa kwakuyizinhlobo zokuqala eziziphindaphindayo eMhlabeni ezazihlanganisa abazali bekhompyutha. Yadalelwa ukusiza ososayensi baqonde ukuthi ukuphila kusebenza kanjani, kusukela kumaseli kuya phezulu. 

Ngo-2016, iqembu lakha i-JCVI-syn3.0, into ephilayo eneseli elilodwa enezakhi zofuzo ezimbalwa kunanoma iyiphi enye indlela eyaziwayo yempilo elula (ama-473 kuphela uma kuqhathaniswa nofuzo lwe-JVCI-syn1.0's 901). Nokho, umzimba wasebenza ngezindlela ezingalindelekile. Esikhundleni sokukhiqiza amangqamuzana anempilo, yakha amise okwenqaba ngesikhathi sokuziphindaphinda. Ososayensi baqaphela ukuthi babekhiphe izakhi zofuzo eziningi kakhulu engqamuzaneni yokuqala, kuhlanganise nalezo ezibangela ukuhlukana kwamaseli okuvamile. 

Umthelela ophazamisayo

Ngokuzimisela ukuthola into ephilayo enezakhi zofuzo ezimbalwa kakhulu ngangokunokwenzeka, izazi ze-biophysicist ezivela e-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) kanye ne-National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) zixube kabusha ikhodi ye-JCVI-syn3.0 ngo-2021. Bakwazi ukwenza okuhlukile okusha okubizwa nge-JCVI-syn3A. Nakuba leli ngqamuzana elisha linezakhi zofuzo ezingu-500 kuphela, liziphatha njengengqamuzana elivamile ngenxa yomsebenzi wabacwaningi. 

Ososayensi basebenzela ukudiliza iseli ngokuqhubekayo. Ngo-2021, into entsha yokwenziwa eyaziwa nge-M. mycoides JCVI-syn3B yavela izinsuku ezingu-300, okubonisa ukuthi ingaguquka ngaphansi kwezimo ezihlukene. Onjiniyela bezinto eziphilayo banethemba lokuthi into ephilayo ehleleke kakhudlwana ingasiza ososayensi ukuthi bafunde ukuphila ezingeni layo eliyisisekelo futhi baqonde ukuthi izifo ziqhubekela phambili kanjani.

Ngo-2022, ithimba lososayensi abavela eNyuvesi yase-Illinois e-Urbana-Champaign, JVCI, kanye ne-Germany-based Technische Universität Dresden lakha imodeli yekhompyutha ye-JCVI-syn3A. Le modeli ingabikezela ngokunembile ukukhula kwayo kwangempela kwe-analog kanye nesakhiwo samangqamuzana. Kusukela ngo-2022, bekuyimodeli yeseli eliphelele kunazo zonke elalingiswa ikhompuyutha.

Lezi zifaniso zinganikeza ulwazi olubalulekile. Le datha ihlanganisa i-metabolism, ukukhula, kanye nezinqubo zolwazi lofuzo emjikelezweni weseli. Ukuhlaziya kunikeza ukuqonda ngezimiso zokuphila nokuthi amangqamuzana awasebenzisa kanjani amandla, okuhlanganisa ukuthuthwa okusebenzayo kwama-amino acid, ama-nucleotide, nama-ion. Njengoba ucwaningo oluncane lwamaseli luqhubeka lukhula, ososayensi bangakha izinhlelo ezingcono zokwenziwa zebhayoloji ezingasetshenziswa ukuthuthukisa izidakamizwa, ukutadisha izifo, nokuthola izindlela zokwelapha zofuzo.

Imithelela yamaseli amancane okwenziwa

Imithelela ebanzi yokwakhiwa kwamaseli amancane okwenziwa ingase ihlanganise: 

• Ukusebenzisana okwengeziwe komhlaba wonke ukuze kudalwe amasistimu empilo asusiwe kodwa asebenzayo ocwaningo.
• Ukufunda komshini okungeziwe kanye nokusetshenziswa kwemodeli yekhompuyutha ukwenza imephu yezakhiwo zebhayoloji, njengamaseli egazi namaprotheni.
• Ibhayoloji yokwenziwa ethuthukisiwe kanye nenhlanganisela yezinto eziphilayo zomshini, okuhlanganisa umzimba-on-a-chip namarobhothi aphilayo. Kodwa-ke, lezi zivivinyo zingathola izikhalazo zesimilo kwabanye ososayensi.
• Ezinye izinkampani ze-biotech kanye ne-biopharma zitshala imali eningi ezinhlelweni zebhayoloji yokwenziwa ukusheshisa ukuthuthukiswa kwezidakamizwa nokwelapha.
• Ukwenyuka kokusungula izinto ezintsha kanye nokutholwayo ekuhleleni izakhi zofuzo njengoba ososayensi befunda kabanzi mayelana nezakhi zofuzo nokuthi zingashintshwa kanjani.
• Imithetho ethuthukisiwe ocwaningweni lwe-biotechnology ukuze kuqinisekiswe izinqubo zokuziphatha, ukuvikela kokubili ubuqotho besayensi nokwethenjwa komphakathi.
• Ukuvela kwezinhlelo ezintsha zemfundo nokuqeqesha ezigxile kubhayoloji yokwenziwa kanye nezindlela zempilo yokwenziwa, ezihlomisa isizukulwane esilandelayo sososayensi ngamakhono akhethekile.
• Shift kumasu okunakekelwa kwezempilo uye emithini yomuntu siqu, kusetshenziswa amaseli okwenziwa kanye nebhayoloji yokwenziwa ekwelapheni okwenziwe ngendlela efanele kanye nokuxilongwa.

Imibuzo okufanele icatshangelwe

• Uma usebenza emkhakheni webhayoloji yokwenziwa, yiziphi ezinye izinzuzo zamaseli amancane?
• Izinhlangano nezikhungo zingasebenzisana kanjani ukuthuthukisa i-synthetic biology?