Using the same techniques as an electric engineer would use for electric circuits, bioengineers created something similar when working with genes. In the article, Jeffrey Tabor, Evan Olson and their colleagues from Rice University have engineered a new way of making and calculating gene expression signals in bacteria. The way it works is this: they use LED lights with light sensitive proteins from photosynthetic algae and put it together with bright reporter genes, with this they can take charge of the quantity and the timing of the different genes that are expressed by how bright and long the lights last. Tabor, quoted by the author, then explains how they were inspired by the electrical engineers with their tools on measuring the voltage on electrical circuits, so they thought why not use the same process for genetics? The correlation between genetic and electric circuits are how information passes through these circuits making them process and react on what is provided. In genes, these circuits can make an expression be shown or not shown by the control of DNA segments. Tabor's study consisted of 4,000 bacterial genes and even though humans have 20,000, they were still able to create genetic circuits that could produce complicated activities like counting, memory, growing tissues, and diagnosing signs of disease within the body.
Previously, Tabor and his colleagues would make gene circuits that would permit the bacteria to change their color based on approaching light. Recently, the team recognized how the light could signal when gene expressions would go up and down like in electrical circuits. Olson compares the tools they use to a generator and an oscilloscope in electrical engineering. A generator shoots a signal to the circuit that is being portrayed then the oscilloscope helps engineers see circuit output. In Tabor and Olson's study, the light up reporter genes are their oscilloscope and their invention, the "light tube array," acted as their generator. The light tube array is just an eight by eight pack of lights that fit under test tubes. It has been said by Olson that there is a seven minute delay between the gene expression going in and out of the gene circuit. But they have discovered that they can design the circuit to perform certain instructions. All in all, their research and creation has led to some of the cleanest data in biology yet.
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In my opinion, the article was only slightly interesting. Engineering in general to me is fairly intriguing but I felt this article was repetitious when describing genetic and electrical circuits. But it was really cool to learn about how bioengineering is progressing in the genetic field, especially since collecting data in genetics is very tedious. This new invention/discovery could pose extremely useful in learning human genetics and figuring out the codes of different genetic diseases or possibly understanding where they came from. In essence, this article and study brings new light to the genetics and bioengineering world and should offer more questions and answers to the genetic society.
Link to the article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140310111710.htm
Link to related research on genetic circuits: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/342/6163/1193.full
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