The discussion explores the feasibility of adding organelles to existing cells through genetic engineering or transplantation methods. Participants consider both theoretical approaches and practical implications, focusing on organelles like mitochondria, vacuoles, and ribosomes.
Participants express a variety of viewpoints, with no consensus reached on the feasibility or desirability of creating parasitic organelles versus directly modifying existing genomes. The discussion includes both supportive and critical perspectives on the proposed ideas.
Some claims depend on specific biological assumptions and definitions, such as the compatibility of organelles with host cells and the mechanisms of organelle function and production. The discussion does not resolve the complexities involved in genetic engineering and organelle transplantation.
Researchers and students interested in cellular biology, genetic engineering, and organelle function may find the discussion relevant, particularly those exploring innovative approaches to organelle manipulation and the implications for disease modeling.
Oh, it happens, new people are made that way already. Some woman don't have enough mitochondria in their egg cells, so either the nucleus of that woman is transplanted to an egg cell of another female, or cytoplasm of another female is added to the woman's egg.Originally posted by wasteofo2
Is it at all possible through genetic engineering, or through physically transplanting one, to add more mitochondria, vaculous, ribosomes etc. to existing cells, assuming they were simmilar enough to the current ones to not be viewed as invaders?
Why would you want to make parasitic organelles? It takes a lot of work to accomplish and doesn't serve a purpose. To produce mitochondria, you could just insert the correct genes in the already working genome..Originally posted by Sikz
What if you geneticly engineered a "parasitic" organelle? You could create an organelle with its own DNA that made its home upon an existing cell, taking its needs for survival from that cell. It could be essentially another nucleus, but empty of DNA- strands of DNA could be encased in "hormones" of a sort specific to this organelle. We could then inject the correct DNA hormones and then inject one that starts the process, and the parasitic organelle would begin production of things based on that DNA. We could even have it reroute things going to the regular nucleus...
In which case we could program our parasitic organelle to produce mitochondria or whatever we want, couldn't we?
Despite the importance of the mitochondria in disease, suitable mouse models to study mitochondrial dysfunction have proved difficult to generate because classical genetic techniques cannot be applied to the thousands of individual mitochondria in a single cell. Now, a team of researchers reports the introduction of these organelles from one mouse species into another, generating a mitochondrial mutant model that could be used to elucidate mitochondria-related disease mechanisms.
In the January 26 PNAS, Matthew McKenzie and colleagues at the University of Melbourne demonstrate the successful transfer of species-specific mitochondria into mouse embryos using mitochondrial DNA–depleted embryonic stem cells and cytoplast fusions that results in homoplasmy for the introduced mitochondrial background (PNAS, DOI:10.1073/pnas.0303184101, January 26, 2004).