Context-dependent redesign of robust synthetic gene circuits

Austin Stone; Abdelrahaman Youssef; Sadikshya Rijal; Rong Zhang; Xiao-Jun Tian

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.01.003

Context-dependent redesign of robust synthetic gene circuits

Trends Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 5:S0167-7799(24)00003-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.01.003. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Austin Stone¹, Abdelrahaman Youssef¹, Sadikshya Rijal¹, Rong Zhang¹, Xiao-Jun Tian²

Affiliations

¹ School of Biological and Health System Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA.
² School of Biological and Health System Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA. Electronic address: xiaojun.tian@asu.edu.

PMID: 38320912
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.01.003

Abstract

Cells provide dynamic platforms for executing exogenous genetic programs in synthetic biology, resulting in highly context-dependent circuit performance. Recent years have seen an increasing interest in understanding the intricacies of circuit-host relationships, their influence on the synthetic bioengineering workflow, and in devising strategies to alleviate undesired effects. We provide an overview of how emerging circuit-host interactions, such as growth feedback and resource competition, impact both deterministic and stochastic circuit behaviors. We also emphasize control strategies for mitigating these unwanted effects. This review summarizes the latest advances and the current state of host-aware and resource-aware design of synthetic gene circuits.

Keywords: circuit–host interactions; control-embedded circuit design; feedback context factors; metabolic burden.

Publication types

Review