CHE.496/2008/Responses/a15

RNA synthetic biology

• Discussion leader: Brandon Freshcorn (Discussion guide)

Kevin Hershey's Response

• RNA Synthetic Biology
  • RNA Synthetic Biology by Isaacs et. al. discusses the role of RNA in synthetic biology. The idea is to use RNA to regulate gene expression. The use of RNA was very successful in Smolke’s work of getting bacteria to fluoresce different colors depending on the amount of caffeine in the coffee. This paper discusses Chin’s modified ribosomes yet again. The paper then goes on to discuss riboswitches, and their importance in post-translational control. These riboswitches were the small RNA pieces which Smolke used in her work. The paper then goes through many different examples of RNA control, and discusses their importance in rational design.
• RNA and RNP as New Molecular Parts in Synthetic Biology
  • The article by Saito and Inoue discusses the importance of RNA and RNP’s as tools in synthetic biology. They begin by discussing the evolving technology of RNA, and how it can be designed to have a desirable 3D structure by using RNA modular units. RNP’s, which were discovered to counter the fact that articifical ribozymes are very unstable, can also be constructed to give a desired function. This article again discusses Smolke’s use of RNA’s as a regulatory mechanism. However, it does bring home the point that RNA’s and RNP’s can be designed to have a desired function. Thus, RNA’s are a desired material in the growing field of nanotechnology.
• KPHershey 14:49, 6 April 2008 (EDT)