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How many base pairs and genes did Mycoplasma genitalium JCVI-1.0 contain?
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synthetic biology
A scanning electron micrograph of cells of Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0—a synthetic bacterium.
The synthetic genome Mycoplasma genitalium JCVI-1.0, assembled by researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), contained 582,970 base pairs. Regarding its genetic composition, the genome consisted of 482 protein-coding genes, in addition to 43 RNA-coding genes.1
This project represented a significant milestone in synthetic biology, as it involved assembling a genome from scratch using 101 custom-made, overlapping DNA "cassettes". The organism M. genitalium was selected for this research because it is the simplest naturally occurring bacterium capable of being grown in laboratory conditions.1