CHE.496/2008/Responses/a13

Systems biology and synthetic biology

• Discussion leader: George Washington (Discussion guide)

Kevin Hershey's Response

• Systems biology as a foundation for genome-scale synthetic biology
  • The article by Barrett et al. describes the transition from systems biology to synthetic biology. It describes some of the advances in mathematical understanding of biology, in silico analysis, and how synthetic biology can use these tools. It goes on to discuss software applications to synthetic biology, and how they can be used. It finishes by discussing system biology’s importance in successfully using natural evolution. Natural evolution, combined with synthetic biology’s ability to produce constructs based on mathematical understanding, can be a very powerful tool.
• Modular approaches to expanding the functions of living matter
  • The review by Chin provides even further analysis of Ellowitz’s repressilator and Weiss’s ‘bullseye’ cell configuration discussed earlier in the course. The article then goes on to discuss Smolke’s system to create the caffeine sensing bacteria discussed earlier in the course. However, a new aspect of synthetic biology is described by Chin’s and Rackham’s manipulation of the ribosome itself. This is novel, because many of the mechanisms studied in this class dealt with the post-transcriptional RNA, rather than the actual machinery. The modified ribosomes allow for new functions.
• KPHershey 12:05, 1 April 2008 (EDT)