[tt] [Synthetic Biology] Rebuilding microbial genomes

[Eugen Leitl]

----- Forwarded message from Drew Endy <endy at MIT.EDU> -----

From: Drew Endy <endy at MIT.EDU>
Date: Sat, 19 May 2007 21:30:08 -0400
To: discuss at syntheticbiology.org
Subject: [Synthetic Biology] Rebuilding microbial genomes
X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.752.3)

FYI.

Rob Carlson emailed me to point out that Rob Holt's lab's paper  
"Rebuilding microbial genomes" has been published in Genes and Genomes.

Drew

Rebuilding microbial genomes
Robert A. Holt *, Rene Warren, Stephane Flibotte, Perseus I.  
Missirlis, Duane E. Smailus
Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, Vancouver, British  
Columbia, Canada
email: Robert A. Holt (rholt at bcgsc.ca)

*Correspondence to Robert A. Holt, Canada's Michael Smith Genome  
Sciences Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Abstract
Engineered microbes are of great potential utility in biotechnology  
and basic research. In principle, a cell can be built from scratch by  
assembling small molecule sets with auto-catalytic properties.  
Alternatively, DNA can be isolated or directly synthesized and molded  
into a synthetic genome using existing genomic blueprints and  
molecular biology tools. Activating such a synthetic genome will  
yield a synthetic cell. Here we examine obstacles associated with  
this latter approach using a model system whereby a donor genome from  
H. influenzae is fragmented, and the pieces are then modified and  
reassembled stepwise in an E. coli host cell. There are obstacles  
associated with this strategy related to DNA transfer, DNA  
replication, cross-talk in gene regulation and compatibility of gene  
products between donor and host. Encouragingly, analysis of gene  
expression indicates widespread transcription of H. influenzae genes  
in E. coli, and analysis of gap locations in H. influenzae and other  
microbial genome assemblies reveals few genes routinely incompatible  
with E. coli. In conclusion, rebuilding and booting a genome remains  
a feasible and pragmatic approach to creating a synthetic microbial  
cell. BioEssays 29:580-590, 2007. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

10.1002/bies.20585

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/114264051? 
CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
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