Synthetic Biology

Diane Wu

Fire Lab Summer Journal Club

6/15/2012

http://www.moulicohen.com/2010/01/07/synthetic-biology-%E2%80%93-the-next-biotech-revolution/

Some background

• DNA->RNA->Protein

http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/genweb/molecular/theory/transcription/transcription.htm

Toolbox

• Zinc-finger

http://2010.igem.org/Team:Debrecen-Hungary/minimals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zinc_finger_DNA_complex.png

Toolbox

• Zinc-finger• siRNA

http://2010.igem.org/Team:Debrecen-Hungary/minimals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zinc_finger_DNA_complex.png

Toolbox

• Zinc-finger• siRNA• Recombinase

Alonso J C et al. J. Biol. Chem. 1995;270:2938-2945http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Gene_assembly_in_Ciliates

Toolbox

• Zinc-finger• siRNA• Recombinase• Ribosome Binding

Site (RBS)taRNA

cr

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Courses/Molbio/MolStudents/spring2003/Keogh/bacteriophage2.jpg

http://thet2phage.com/Art/bacteriophage.jpg

http://blass.com.au/definitions/coli%20phage http://bio1903.nicerweb.com/doc/class/bio1903/Locked/media/ch18/18_01T4PhageEColi_LP.jpg

http://bioweb.wku.edu/courses/biol566/L2lambda.html

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Image-Bacteriophage_lambda_genome.png

The toggle switch

Recall:

The toggle switch

Case study: Counters

Case study: Counters

Cre/FLPe

Cre recognizes loxPFLPe recognizes FRT

Cre/FLPe

Cre recognizes loxPFLPe recognizes FRT

Analog to Digital

Oh, the possibilities!

• Whole-cell biosensors

• Microbial engineering using circuit carrying bacteriophages

• Biological containment

• iPSC control

Issues of consideration

• Modularity

• Biological knowledge

• Probes to assay and characterize in vivo operation of synthetic gene circuits

http://estherspace.wordpress.com/2008/01/21/ http://naturalorder.info/

vs.

References

• Friedland et al. Synthetic Gene Netowrks that Count. Science (2009)

• Lu, Khalil, and Collins. Next-generation synthetic gene networks. Nature Biotechnology (2009)

• Gardner, Canter, and Collins. Construction of a genetic toggle switch in Escherichia coli. Nature (2000)