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Regulation of gene expression by transcription factors: (a) upregulation by transcriptional activators and (b) downregulation by transcriptional repressors.
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![Figure 3. Synthetic gene circuits: (a) bistable 'toggle' switch [5] and...](publication/260665672/figure/fig2/AS:342296060022784@1458621148799/Synthetic-gene-circuits-a-bistable-toggle-switch5-and-b-engineered-AND-logic_Q320.jpg)
Synthetic biology is a new discipline that combines science and
engineering approaches to precisely control biological networks. These
signaling networks are especially important in fields such as
biomedicine and biochemical engineering. Additionally, biological
networks can also be critical to the production of naturally occurring
biological nanom...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... example, RNA polymerase must bind specifically to a promoter region of DNA to transcribe its downstream DNA bases into a complementary RNA molecule. As shown in figure 2(a), RNA polymerase can be helped by activator proteins that catalyze this binding event, or it can be blocked completely by repressor proteins, shown in figure 2(b), that bind directly to DNA. These polymerases and transcription factors (i.e. the activators and repressors) have known affinities for specific sequences of DNA. ...
Context 2
... example, RNA polymerase must bind specifically to a promoter region of DNA to transcribe its downstream DNA bases into a complementary RNA molecule. As shown in figure 2(a), RNA polymerase can be helped by activator proteins that catalyze this binding event, or it can be blocked completely by repressor proteins, shown in figure 2(b), that bind directly to DNA. These polymerases and transcription factors (i.e. the activators and repressors) have known affinities for specific sequences of DNA. ...
Citations
... Hence, these NPs can act as small probes that allow us to spy on cellular machinery without any obstruction. Synthetic Biology, a new field that integrates science, engineering, and technology, is the result of the precise control of particle size, their inner core (composition, size, shape), stability, and functionalization of molecules [22]. Several NPs also showed excellent interfacial interactions with biological components like de-oxy ribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). ...
Comprehending the interfacial interaction of nanomaterials (NMs) and biological systems is a significant research interest. NMs comprise various nanoparticles (NPs) like carbon nanotubes, graphene oxides, carbon dots, graphite nanopowders, etc. These NPs show a variety of interactions with biological interfaces via organic layers, therapeutic molecules, proteins, DNA, and cellular matrices. A number of biophysical and colloidal forces act at the morphological surface to regulate the biological responses of bio-nanoconjugates, imparting distinct physical properties to the NMs. The design of future-generation nano-tools is primarily based on the basic properties of NMs, such as shape, size, compositional, functionality, etc., with studies being carried out extensively. Understanding their properties promotes research in the medical and biological sciences and improves their applicability in the health management sector. In this review article, in-depth and critical analysis of the theoretical and experimental aspects involving nanoscale material, which have inspired various biological systems, is the area of focus. The main analysis involves different self-assembled synthetic materials, bio-functionalized NMs, and their probing techniques. The present review article focuses on recent emerging trends in the synthesis and applications of nanomaterials with respect to various biomedical applications. This article provides value to the literature as it summarizes the state-of-the-art nanomaterials reported, especially within the health sector. It has been observed that nanomaterial applications in drug design, diagnosis, testing, and in the research arena, as well as many fatal disease conditions like cancer and sepsis, have explored alongwith drug therapies and other options for the delivery of nanomaterials. Even the day-to-day life of the synthesis and purification of these materials is changing to provide us with a simplified process. This review article can be useful in the research sector as a single platform wherein all types of nanomaterials for biomedical aspects can be understood in detail.
... This has proven to be a new research direction that has attracted scientists is the development of biological nanomaterials. The advantages include high biocompatibility and less toxicity than chemically synthesized nanomaterials [102]. Therefore, the use of drugs containing biological nanomaterials has been evaluated as future therapies in the treatment of metabolic disorders. ...
... Synthetic and systems biology approaches are revolutionizing the perspective of biology and also the production of biomaterials by re-engineering of life creating organisms capable of performing novel functions for industry, medicine and scientific research (Edmundson et al., 2014;Rice & Ruder, 2014). Engineer biological networks by remodelling genetic circuits or constructing new protein-based components have been developed with promising impact on MeNPs production and some examples have been developed from the infancy of synthetic biology. ...
Metallic nanoparticles (MeNPs) are widely used in many areas such as biomedicine, packaging, cosmetics, colourants, agriculture, antimicrobial agents, cleaning products, as components of electronic devices and nutritional supplements. In addition, some MeNPs exhibit quantum properties, making them suitable materials in the photonics, electronic and energy industries. Through the lens of technology, microbes can be considered nanofactories capable of producing enzymes, metabolites and capping materials involved in the synthesis, assembly and stabilization of MeNPs. This bioprocess is considered more ecofriendly and less energy intensive than the current chemical synthesis routes. However, microbial synthesis of MeNPs as an alternative method to the chemical synthesis of nanomaterials still faces some challenges that need to be solved. Some of these challenges are described in this Editorial.
... Some proteins contain region that bind metal ions and reduce them with the help of enzymes. Thus, multiple structural and enzymatic components are encoded by this synthetic gene circuits regulating the nanoparticle synthesis (Rice and Ruder, 2013). According to the central dogma of biology, DNA is transcribed into RNA by RNA polymerase and this RNA then binds to ribosomes to be translated into functional proteins. ...
Microorganisms colonized the world before the multi-cellular organisms evolved. With the advent of microscopy, their existence became evident to the mankind and also the vast processes they regulate, that are in direct interest of the human beings. One such process that intrigued the researchers is the ability to grow in presence of toxic metals. The process seemed to be simple with the metal ions being sequestrated into the inclusion bodies or cell surfaces enabling the conversion into nontoxic nanostructures. However, the discovery of genome sequencing techniques highlighted the genetic makeup of these microbes as a quintessential aspect of these phenomena. The findings of metal resistance genes (MRG) in these microbes showed a rather complex regulation of these processes. Since most of these MRGs are plasmid encoded they can be transferred horizontally. With the discovery of nanoparticles and their many applications from polymer chemistry to drug delivery, the demand for innovative techniques of nanoparticle synthesis increased dramatically. It is now established that microbial synthesis of nanoparticles provides numerous advantages over the existing chemical methods. However, it is the explicit use of biotechnology, molecular biology, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and genetic engineering tools that revolutionized the world of microbial nanotechnology. Detailed study of the micro and even nanolevel assembly of microbial life also intrigued biologists and engineers to generate molecular motors that mimic bacterial flagellar motor. In this review, we highlight the importance and tremendous hidden potential of bio-engineering tools in exploiting the area of microbial nanoparticle synthesis. We also highlight the application oriented specific modulations that can be done in the stages involved in the synthesis of these nanoparticles. Finally, the role of these nanoparticles in the natural ecosystem is also addressed.
... Some proteins contain region that bind metal ions and reduce them with the help of enzymes. Thus, multiple structural and enzymatic components are encoded by this synthetic gene circuits regulating the nanoparticle synthesis (Rice and Ruder, 2013). According to the central dogma of biology, DNA is transcribed into RNA by RNA polymerase and this RNA then binds to ribosomes to be translated into functional proteins. ...
Microorganisms colonized the world before the multi-cellular organisms evolved. With the advent of microscopy, their existence became evident to the mankind and also the vast processes they regulate, that are in direct interest of the human beings. One such process that intrigued the researchers is the ability to grow in presence of toxic metals. The process seemed to be simple with the metal ions being sequestrated into the inclusion bodies or cell surfaces enabling the conversion into nontoxic nanostructures. However, the discovery of genome sequencing techniques highlighted the genetic makeup of these microbes as a quintessential aspect of these phenomena. The findings of metal resistance genes (MRG) in these microbes showed a rather complex regulation of these processes. Since most of these MRGs are plasmid encoded they can be transferred horizontally. With the discovery of nanoparticles and their many applications from polymer chemistry to drug delivery, the demand for innovative techniques of nanoparticle synthesis increased dramatically. It is now established that microbial synthesis of nanoparticles provides numerous advantages over the existing chemical methods. However, it is the explicit use of biotechnology, molecular biology, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and genetic engineering tools that revolutionized the world of microbial nanotechnology. Detailed study of the micro and even nanolevel assembly of microbial life also intrigued biologists and engineers to generate molecular motors that mimic bacterial flagellar motor. In this review, we highlight the importance and tremendous hidden potential of bio-engineering tools in exploiting the area of microbial nanoparticle synthesis. We also highlight the application oriented specific modulations that can be done in the stages involved in the synthesis of these nanoparticles. Finally, the role of these nanoparticles in the natural ecosystem is also addressed.
... Some proteins contain region that bind metal ions and reduce them with the help of enzymes. Thus, multiple structural and enzymatic components are encoded by this synthetic gene circuits regulating the nanoparticle synthesis (Rice and Ruder, 2013). According to the central dogma of biology, DNA is transcribed into RNA by RNA polymerase and this RNA then binds to ribosomes to be translated into functional proteins. ...
Micro-organisms colonized the world before the multi-cellular organisms evolved. With the advent of microscopy, their existence became evident to mankind and also the vast processes they regulate, that are in the direct interest of human beings. One such process that intrigued the researchers is the ability to grow in presence of toxic metals. The process seemed to be simple with the metal ions being sequestrated into the inclusion bodies or cell surfaces enabling the conversion into nontoxic nanostructures. However, the discovery of genome sequencing techniques highlighted the genetic makeup of these microbes as a quintessential aspect of this phenomenon. The findings of Metal Resistance Genes (MRG) in these microbes showed a rather complex regulation of these processes. Since most of these MRGs are plasmid-encoded they can be transferred horizontally. With the discovery of nanoparticles and their many applications from polymer chemistry to drug delivery, the demand for innovative techniques of nanoparticle synthesis increased dramatically. It is now established that microbial synthesis of nanoparticles provides numerous advantages over the existing chemical methods. However, it is the explicit use of biotechnology, molecular biology, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and genetic engineering tools that revolutionized the world of microbial nanotechnology. A detailed study of the micro and even nano level assembly of microbial life also intrigued biologists and engineers to generate molecular motors that mimic bacterial flagellar motor. In this review, we highlight the importance and tremendous hidden potential of genetic engineering tools in exploiting the area of microbial nanoparticle synthesis. We also highlight the application-oriented specific modulations that can be done in the stages involved in the synthesis of these nanoparticles. Finally, the role of these nanoparticles in the natural ecosystem is also addressed.
... Some proteins contain region that bind metal ions and reduce them with the help of enzymes. Thus, multiple structural and enzymatic components are encoded by this synthetic gene circuits regulating the nanoparticle synthesis (Rice and Ruder, 2013). According to the central dogma of biology, DNA is transcribed into RNA by RNA polymerase and this RNA then binds to ribosomes to be translated into functional proteins. ...
... Synthetic biology and nanotechnology aim at designing novel functions with potential applications, particularly in the bioprocesses [1], medicine [2], and material [3,4] fields. The convergence between synthetic biology and nano technology can be inferred from their common exploitation of the spatial organi zation at the nano-to micrometer scales. ...
The convergence between synthetic biology and nanotechnology can be inferred from their common exploitation of the spatial organization at the nano-to-micrometer scales. One of the paradigm of synthetic biology is that one can design complex biological systems by combining standardized modules with predictable functions. Development of nucleic acids as structural bricks for the construction of rationally designed and highly organized materials is a typical orthogonal approach in synthetic biology. This technology takes advantage of predictive method using computer tools to build 1D- to 3D-scaffolds. These scaffolds were used in turn to spatially organize functional nanostructures including biocatalysts and nanoparticles or to build functional materials. In the case of enzymes, the main goal was to build enzymatic cascades in which spatial organization favors coupling. Convergences between synthetic biology and nanotechnologies are starting to have bodies and will offer future co development tools to generate synthetic supramolecular organizations with defined, complex, biological functions useful for industrial applications.
... For example, by enhancing the engineered cell's surface chemistry capabilities with synthetic circuits that leverage the cell's native capacity to respond to mechanical cues 33 and chemical inducers, 34 these we can envision a system where engineered cells could both sense spatiotemporal surface cues and modify surface chemistry and material assembly to produce biological nanomaterials. 35 This ability would allow cells to "read" instructions written into the chemistry and physics of a material. These instructions would then activate cells, causing them to respond by modifying the material surface chemistry using our engineered biotin− streptavidin system. ...
We have developed synthetic gene networks that enable engineered cells to selectively program surface chemistry. E. coli were engineered to upregulate biotin synthase, and therefore biotin synthesis, upon biochemical induction. Additionally, two different functionalized surfaces were developed that utilized binding between biotin and streptavidin to regulate enzyme assembly on programmable surfaces. When combined, the interactions between engineered cells and surfaces demonstrated that synthetic biology can be used to engineer cells that selectively control and modify molecular assembly by exploiting surface chemistry. Our system is highly modular and has the potential to influence fields ranging from tissue engineering to drug development and delivery.
... Since the design of the bacterial toggle switch and the bacterial oscillator in 2000 [1,2], researchers in the multi-disciplinary field of synthetic biology have developed innovations in the areas of cellular computing [3,4], bio-sensing [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14], biochemicals [15][16][17][18][19][20], therapeutics and diagnostics [21][22][23][24][25], pharmaceuticals manufacturing [26][27][28], and biomaterials [29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. With the advent of high-throughput methods to construct and characterize genetic circuits and the continually decreasing costs of DNA synthesis and sequencing [36], synthetic biology is well poised to continue contributing to areas ranging from answering unsolved questions of biology to generating novel solutions for today's pressing challenges in healthcare and the environment [37]. ...
Genetic circuits, composed of complex networks of interacting molecular machines, enable living systems to sense their dynamic environments, perform computation on the inputs and formulate appropriate outputs. By rewiring and expanding these circuits with novel parts and modules, synthetic biologists have adapted living systems into vibrant substrates for engineering. Diverse paradigms have emerged for designing, modeling, constructing, and characterizing such artificial genetic systems. In this paper, we first provide an overview of recent advances in the development of genetic parts and highlight key engineering approaches. We then review the assembly of these parts into synthetic circuits from the perspectives of digital & analog logic, systems biology, and metabolic engineering, three areas of particular theoretical and practical interest. Finally, we discuss notable challenges that the field of synthetic biology still faces in achieving reliable and predictable forward-engineering of artificial biological circuits.
