Scientists create artificial enzymes

[HardkorSB]

http://www.sciencealert.com/world-first-artificial-enzymes-suggest-life-doesn-t-need-dna-or-rna

Scientists in the UK create XNA - the first artificial enzymes that can also store genetic and hereditary information.
Cool stuff.

Any thoughts?

 

[DefunctTheory]

Looks like they expect this to be the back bone of human made cell sized machines, presumably because its easier to deal with then RNA and DNA.

I'm all for the impending gray blob apocalypse. Lets do this!

On a serious note, this is pretty cool. Does this count as the first true man made life form, or do we have to wait until it self replicates?

 

[Dansen]

Looks like they expect this to be the back bone of human made cell sized machines, presumably because its easier to deal with then RNA and DNA.

I'm all for the impending gray blob apocalypse. Lets do this!

On a serious note, this is pretty cool. Does this count as the first true man made life form, or do we have to wait until it self replicates?

unfortunately no, enzymes are just bits of protein the catalyze chemical reactions in cells. However they are essential to life so the better we understand them the sooner we can create an artificial life form.

 

[Reed Spacer]

Looks like they expect this to be the back bone of human made cell sized machines, presumably because its easier to deal with then RNA and DNA.

I'm all for the impending gray blob apocalypse. Lets do this!

On a serious note, this is pretty cool. Does this count as the first true man made life form, or do we have to wait until it self replicates?

unfortunately no, enzymes are just bits of protein the catalyze chemical reactions in cells. However they are essential to life so the better we understand them the sooner we can create an artificial life form.

Yeah, well you just wait until the mighty Enzymor shows up and starts eating things.

Then you can tell us how harmless they are.

 

[Mezahmay]

Hmm...fascinating. I can see a lot of use for these XNA based enzymes in chemistry if they can be shaped more carefully than existing artificial catalysts. All the better if they're resistant to solvent or heavy metal toxicity.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

I have no idea how human physiology will react to enzymes not constructed from typical polypeptide links. The whole basis of your "defence" and breakdown of enzymes (Which is done constantly to ensure no message is around longer than it is needed) is designed around enzymes that grab proteins and cut them apart at predesignated positions. These positions are indicated by amino acid side chains that make the cleavage site unique and easy for the protein breaker to identify. These positions operate on the basis that all current life uses the DNA model to build proteins.

I wonder if the halflife of these proteins would be relatively huge because of this inside a person.

 

[CrystalShadow]

I have no idea how human physiology will react to enzymes not constructed from typical polypeptide links. The whole basis of your "defence" and breakdown of enzymes (Which is done constantly to ensure no message is around longer than it is needed) is designed around enzymes that grab proteins and cut them apart at predesignated positions. These positions are indicated by amino acid side chains that make the cleavage site unique and easy for the protein breaker to identify. These positions operate on the basis that all current life uses the DNA model to build proteins.

I wonder if the halflife of these proteins would be relatively huge because of this inside a person.

Most likely, given how sensitive the body is to 'broken' proteins (and fatty acids, and so on)...

Still, depending on what the intended use for this stuff is, the human body having a hard time breaking it down may in fact be a useful property...

 

[Albino Boo]

I have no idea how human physiology will react to enzymes not constructed from typical polypeptide links. The whole basis of your "defence" and breakdown of enzymes (Which is done constantly to ensure no message is around longer than it is needed) is designed around enzymes that grab proteins and cut them apart at predesignated positions. These positions are indicated by amino acid side chains that make the cleavage site unique and easy for the protein breaker to identify. These positions operate on the basis that all current life uses the DNA model to build proteins.

I wonder if the halflife of these proteins would be relatively huge because of this inside a person.

XNA is constituted from typical polypeptide links. The thing that is different is the sugar and base combination. The behavior is predictable because all it is doing is linking with different receptor sites. It no more risky than a standard drug trail, becuase it governed by the same chemistry.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

XNA is constituted from typical polypeptide links. The thing that is different is the sugar and base combination. The behavior is predictable because all it is doing is linking with different receptor sites. It no more risky than a standard drug trail, becuase it governed by the same chemistry.

having misread it entirely it actually has no polypeptide links, its a poly nucleotide chain. Bases are important for gripping by enzymes for methylation and other base edition, as well as the binding of DNA-ases that would hopefully break down foreign DNA such as this. I wonder if any DNA altering enzyme essential for the survival of humans would even bind XNA. Gripping the sugar phosphate backbone is important for a number of enzymes. Is the XNA read by typical ribosomes even? The article implies the XNA is merely folded itself into enzymatic formations, which wouldnt require a ribosome anyway. If it CAN store information it would need its own ribosomes and DNA-ases to convert said information into proteins. You would need to engineer an entire biological chemistry from the ground up assuming it doesnt fit with traditional enzymes.

And. Thats. Awesome.

I really wanna see what enzymes currently bind XNA if any.