Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ruben Mateos Fernandez, Marko Petek, Iryna Gerasymenko, Mojca Jutersek, Spela Baebler, Kalyani Kallam, Elena Moreno Gimenez, Janine Gondolf, Alfred Nordmann, Kristina Gruden, Diego Orzaez, Nicola J. Patron
Summary: Arthropod crop pests account for 20% of global annual crop losses, a figure expected to rise with climate change. Humans have historically used chemical formulations to control pests, but concerns about biodiversity impacts are growing. Biotechnology is providing new options for pest control, including engineering resistant crops and insect populations.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuval Elani
Summary: The construction of artificial cells is a major challenge today, with potential applications in clinical and industrial settings. Artificial cells currently cannot match the complexity of biological cells, leading researchers to explore hybrid living/synthetic systems that combine the advantages of both.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Xueying Zhu, Zhaoyang Zhang, Bin Jia, Yingjin Yuan
Summary: Synthetic biotechnology has been widely applied in biochemistry, bioenergy, and therapy, but the uncontrolled spread of GMOs poses unpredictable biosafety risks. Effective biocontainment methods have been developed to address these challenges. This article summarizes recent advances in biocontainment strategies in DNA replication, transcriptional regulation, and protein translation, and introduces the efforts in the biocontainment convention, such as the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines.
CHINESE JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hehe He, Qianqian Yu, Zhongyang Ding, Liang Zhang, Guiyang Shi, Youran Li
Summary: Bacillus licheniformis, a Gram-positive bacterium, has important biologic applications in the food industry, such as biosynthesis of high value-added bioproducts, probiotic functions, and biological treatment of food production wastes. This review summarizes recent advances and presents synthetic biology strategies for the wider and more efficient application of this strain. It also discusses current challenges and provides a unique perspective on future research directions. Overall, this review provides an illuminating and comprehensive perspective on B. licheniformis, promoting its effective development in the food industry.
SYNTHETIC AND SYSTEMS BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jaeyoung K. Jung, Blake J. Rasor, Grant A. Rybnicky, Adam D. Silverman, Janet Standeven, Robert Kuhn, Teresa Granito, Holly M. Ekas, Brenda M. Wang, Ashty S. Karim, Julius B. Lucks, Michael C. Jewett
Summary: As the field of synthetic biology expands, the need to grow and train STEM practitioners is essential. However, the lack of access to hands-on demonstrations has led to inequalities of opportunity and practice. To address this, shelf-stable cell-free biosensing educational modules were developed, allowing students to create their own bioengineered systems by adding water and DNA to freeze-dried crude extracts of non-pathogenic Escherichia coli. This work promises to increase access to interactive synthetic biology education opportunities.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Amber Dance
Summary: By pushing fluorescent proteins further into the red end of the spectrum, bioengineers are expanding the color options and depth of penetration for biological imaging.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Franz Opel, Nina A. Siebert, Sabine Klatt, Adrian Tuellinghoff, Janis G. Hantke, Joerg Toepel, Bruno Buehler, Dennis J. Nuernberg, Stephan Klaehn
Summary: Cyanobacteria have attracted great interest in biotechnology for their potential in sustainable, photosynthesis-driven production of fuels and value-added chemicals. However, compared to heterotrophic microorganisms, cyanobacterial model strains still lag behind in terms of molecular tools for engineering their metabolism. Researchers have developed a new tool called the pSOMA shuttle vector series for comprehensive genetic engineering of cyanobacteria and demonstrated its potential in gene expression and transfer.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Charles F. Ericson, Martin Pilhofer
Summary: The bacterial injection system has been modified to create a programmable method for delivering proteins into cells, offering customization for numerous biomedical applications.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Lyon Bruinsma, Sebastian Wenk, Nico J. Claassens, Vitor A. P. Martins dos Santos
Summary: In this study, the carbon metabolism of the industrially important bacterium Pseudomonas putida was engineered to utilize one-carbon compounds such as methanol, formate, and CO2 as sustainable microbial feedstocks for the production of chemicals and fuels. The functionality of the C1-assimilation module was demonstrated and successfully extended to include methanol and CO2. This research lays the foundation for further engineering P. putida as a sustainable and versatile cell factory that can utilize formate, methanol, and CO2 as sole feedstocks.
METABOLIC ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Orio Basallo, Lucia Perez, Abel Lucido, Albert Sorribas, Alberto Marin-Saguino, Ester Vilaprinyo, Laura Perez-Fons, Alfonso Albacete, Cristina Martinez-Andujar, Paul D. Fraser, Paul Christou, Teresa Capell, Rui Alves
Summary: Many valuable chemicals in various industries rely on the biosynthesis of IPP/DMAPP, which plants produce through two distinct pathways. Developing plants for high value terpenoid production is a biotechnological goal, but redirecting IPP/DMAPP to produce non-cognate metabolites poses challenges. This study aims to understand and predict the effects of increasing IPP/DMAPP production in plants through modeling.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adriana Cherskov, Nenad Sestan
Summary: This high-throughput technique screens genes implicated in neurodevelopmental diseases in 3D cell cultures, revealing a potential mechanism involved in a rare disorder known as microcephaly. The CRISPR-based organoid screen targets genes linked to microcephaly.
Article
Education & Educational Research
Justice T. Walker
Summary: Despite limited knowledge of synthetic biology, middle school students have well-formed attitudes towards the field, indicating potential for further learning and engagement. The perspectives among this group are still developing and flexible, presenting opportunities for support and education in this emerging field.
JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Rainer Breitling, Martina Avbelj, Oksana Bilyk, Francesco Del Carratore, Alessandro Filisetti, Erik K. R. Hanko, Marianna Iorio, Rosario Perez Redondo, Fernando Reyes, Michelle Rudden, Emmanuele Severi, Lucija Slemc, Kamila Schmidt, Dominic R. Whittall, Stefano Donadio, Antonio Rodriguez Garcia, Olga Genilloud, Gregor Kosec, Davide De Lucrezia, Hrvoje Petkovic, Gavin Thomas, Eriko Takano
Summary: Actinomycete bacteria are attractive targets for genetic engineering using synthetic biology tools due to their biochemical versatility and biotechnological importance. However, their complex biology presents unique challenges. This mini review highlights recent advances in synthetic biology approaches from an actinomycete perspective and showcases examples of their application in the rational improvement of industrially relevant strains.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS
(2021)
News Item
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Philip Ball
Summary: A pair of studies highlight ethical and legal concerns surrounding the status of lab-grown human embryo models.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Scott Banta
Summary: A protein with a stronger binding affinity to lighter rare-earth metals than heavier ones has been discovered, despite their chemical similarities.