Pascale Daran-Lapujade and her team at Delft University of Technology biotechnologist, created Human muscle genes and successfully inserted into the DNA of baker’s yeast. For the first time, scientists have effectively inserted a crucial human characteristic into a yeast cell.

Figure 1: Effectively inserted a crucial human characteristic into a yeast cell.

Figure 1 shows thatDaran-Lapujade’s lab introduced a characteristic to yeast cells that is regulated by a collection of 10 genes that humans cannot live without; they carry the blueprint for a process known as a metabolic pathway, which breaks down sugar to gather energy and produce cellular building blocks within muscle cells.

Because this mechanism is involved in many disorders, including cancer, the modified yeast could be used in medical studies. [1]

“As compared to human cells or tissues, yeast is a fantastic organism for its simplicity to grow and its genetic accessibility: its DNA can be easily modified to address fundamental questions,” Daran-Lapujade explains. “Many pivotal discoveries such as the cell division cycle, were elucidated thanks to yeast.”

“We didn’t just transplant the human genes into yeast, we also removed the corresponding yeast genes and completely replaced them with the human muscle genes”, Daran-Lapujade explains.

“You might think that you cannot exchange the yeast version with the human one, because it’s such a specific and tightly regulated process both in human and yeast cells. But it works like a charm!”

Researcher could compare the expression of human genes in yeast and in their native human muscle environment using lab-grown human tissue cells. The properties of human enzymes produced in yeast and in their native human cells were remarkably similar, supporting the value of the new humanized yeast as models for human cells. [2]

This one process is just a small part of the human metabolism; there are many more similar processes between yeast and human cells that could be studied in humanized yeasts. While Daran-Lapujade focuses on the fundamental and technological aspects of engineering yeast and thus does not plan to study applications of the humanized yeast herself, she hopes to collaborate with other scientists who are interested in using the tool.

“This is just the starting point,” she says, “we can humanize yeast further and step by step build up a more complex human environment in yeast.” [3]

References:

1. https://scitechdaily.com/humanized-yeast-scientists-create-yeast-with-important-human-genes/
2. https://weppills.com/scientists-create-yeast-with-important-human-genes/
3. https://counttutu.com/scientists-create-yeast-with-important-human-genes/

Cite this article:

Sri Vasagi K (2022), Scientist Created the Humanized Yeast, AnaTechMaz, pp.78