Lessons from a Minimal Genome: What Are the Essential Organizing Principles of a Cell Built from Scratch?

One of the primary challenges facing synthetic biology is reconstituting a living system from its component parts. A particularly difficult landmark is reconstituting a self-organizing system that can undergo autonomous chromosome compaction, segregation, and cell division. Here, we discuss how the syn3.0 minimal genome can inform us of the core self-organizing principles of a living cell and how these self-organizing processes can be built from the bottom up. The review underscores the importance of fundamental biology in rebuilding life from its molecular constituents.     

Biological Applications of Expanded Genetic Codes

Substantial efforts in the past decade have resulted in the systematic expansion of genetic codes, allowing for the direct ribosomal incorporation of ～100 unnatural amino acids into bacteria, yeast, mammalian cells, and animals. Here, we illustrate the versatility of expanded genetic codes in biology and bioengineering, focusing on the application of expanded genetic codes to problems in protein, cell, synthetic, and experimental evolutionary biology. As the expanded genetic code field continues to develop, its place as a foundational technology in the whole of biological sciences will solidify.     

达托霉素及其衍生物生物合成的研究进展

随着高致病耐药菌的不断出现,临床上对新抗生素的需求十分迫切。达托霉素作为环脂肽类抗生素的第一个产品对耐药菌有很好的杀菌效果,且制剂用药方便,毒副作用小,被公认为病原菌最后一道防线--万古霉素的最佳替代品。本文在介绍达托霉素的理化特征和抗菌活性、合成基因簇的研究成果的基础上,重点对达托霉素及其衍生物的研究状况进行了综述,对达托霉素的生产及其衍生物的开发进行了展望：结合系统生物学为已有的达托霉素产生菌进一步进行代谢工程改造提供指导;通过合成生物学使达托霉素衍生物成为新型抗生素。     

Controlled E. coli Aggregation Mediated by DNA and XNA Hybridization

Chemical cell surface modification is a fast-growing field of research, due to its enormous potential in tissue engineering, cell-based immunotherapy, and regenerative medicine. However, engineering of bacterial tissues by chemical cell surface modification has been vastly underexplored and the identification of suitable molecular handles is in dire need. We present here, an orthogonal nucleic acid-protein conjugation strategy to promote artificial bacterial aggregation. This system gathers the high selectivity and stability of linkage to a protein Tag expressed at the cell surface and the modularity and reversibility of aggregation due to oligonucleotide hybridization. For the first time, XNA (xeno nucleic acids in the form of 1,5-anhydrohexitol nucleic acids) were immobilized via covalent, SNAP-tag-mediated interactions on cell surfaces to induce bacterial aggregation.     

Effect of Liposome Size on Internal RNA Replication Coupled with Replicase Translation

Cell membranes inhibit the diffusion of intracellular materials, and compartment size can strongly affect the intracellular biochemical reactions. To assess the effect of the size of microcompartments on intracellular reactions, we constructed a primitive cell model consisting of giant liposomes and a translation‐coupled RNA replication (TcRR) system. The RNA was replicated by Qβ replicase, which was translated from the RNA in giant liposomes encapsulating the cell‐free translation system. A reporter RNA encoding the antisense strand of β‐glucuronidase was introduced into the system to yield a TcRR read‐out (green fluorescence). We demonstrate that TcRR was hardly detectable in larger liposomes (230 fL) but was more effective in smaller (7.7 fL) liposomes. Our experimental and theoretical results show that smaller microcompartments considerably enhance TcRR because the synthesized molecules, such as RNA and replicases, are more concentrated in smaller liposomes.     

微生物合成植物天然产物的细胞工厂设计与构建

植物天然产物结构多样,具有丰富的生理活性与功能。利用微生物细胞工厂生产来源稀缺、获取难度大的植物天然产物具有经济可行、环境友好等优势。本文系统介绍了萜烯、黄酮以及生物碱的生物合成途径及其关键酶,阐述了差异转录组学、同功酶挖掘等途径解析与重构的方法。指出关键酶改造、途径动态调控、代谢区室化与代谢网络再平衡是增大外源途径代谢通量、抑制副产物合成、降低产物毒性与菌株代谢负担、提高目标产物合成能力的有效策略。提出了解析合成植物天然产物关键酶在微生物中的催化特异性机制、开发外源途径的高效组装方法等进一步提高微生物细胞工厂生产效率的建议。     

Intracellular Light‐Activation of Riboswitch Activity

By combining a riboswitch with a cell‐permeable photocaged small‐molecule ligand, an optochemical gene control element was constructed that enabled spatial and temporal control of gene expression in bacterial cells. The simplicity of this strategy, coupled with the ability to create synthetic riboswitches with tailored ligand specificities and output in a variety of microorganisms, plants, and fungi might afford a general strategy to photocontrol gene expression in vivo. The ability to activate riboswitches by using light enables the interrogation and manipulation of a wide range of biological processes with high precision, and will have broad utility in the regulation of artificial genetic circuits.     

维生素A生物合成的研究进展

维生素A是维持人体代谢的必需维生素,在食品、药品及护肤品等多个领域占有重要地位,是三大维生素支柱产品之一,应用前景广阔。市场上的维生素A主要来源于化学合成和天然提取。近年来,随着绿色生物制造的发展,维生素A的生物合成研究取得了重大的进展。总结了维生素A生物合成的研究现状,并对维生素A生物合成的优化改造方案进行了分析归纳,概述了维生素A发酵生产以及产品组分调控和储存策略,最后对生物合成维生素A的现状进行总结与展望。     

维生素A生物合成的研究进展

维生素A是维持人体代谢的必需维生素,在食品、药品及护肤品等多个领域占有重要地位,是三大维生素支柱产品之一,应用前景广阔。市场上的维生素A主要来源于化学合成和天然提取。近年来,随着绿色生物制造的发展,维生素A的生物合成研究取得了重大的进展。总结了维生素A生物合成的研究现状,并对维生素A生物合成的优化改造方案进行了分析归纳,概述了维生素A发酵生产以及产品组分调控和储存策略,最后对生物合成维生素A的现状进行总结与展望。