Gene swap experiment makes altering bugs easier

Researchers seeking ways to genetically-modify microbes to get them to do their bidding said on Thursday they had taken a big step toward their goal by transplanting an altered genome from one germ to another. They hope the experiment will help scientists alter bacteria to make new vaccines, clean up toxic waste and design new antibiotics. They also hope they can use the technique to try to create entirely synthetic microbes. Carole Lartigue and colleagues at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Maryland took the entire genome out of one type of bacteria, inserted it into yeast, genetically engineered it, and then transplanted the altered gene map into another species of bacteria. Writing in the journal Science, they said their method might be used to tinker with the genetics of a range of bacteria that have been difficult to engineer.