Synthetic biology: restructuring the Escherichia coli genome

描述（由申请人提供）：合成生物学是一个新兴领域，其目标是设计和合成具有特定功能的新生物实体。在这样做的过程中，合成生物学家将开发从下而上的方法和技术来研究生物学，从而彻底改变医学。为了实现这一目标，需要使用成熟的分子生物学技术来合成生物系统和生物体。 我们选择合成一种重组的大肠杆菌菌株，它具有改变的密码子偏好，将作为未来合成生物学项目的支架。这一目标是可以实现的，科学界已经完成了整个病毒基因组的类似构建。该项目将依赖于使用聚合酶辅助的多重基因合成和同源重组的基因组合成，这些技术已经分别独立用于合成大部分基因组DNA和创建基因工程生物。 此外，微流控DNA合成的最新发展降低了寡核苷酸合成的成本，使得细菌基因组的全合成在经济上可行。这些有利的经济因素加上第一次成功的细菌合成将启动未来的项目，开发具有破坏肿瘤，合成药物和生物监测等功能的细菌菌株。 设计和合成具有新特性的生物体对生物技术和医学很有用。由于活生物体在其功能上是能量有效的并且极其特异性的，因此用于疾病检测、疾病根除和药物生产的活装置可以以非常特异性和能量有效的方式执行所需的功能。合成生物学的工作已经产生了医学诊断，生物合成药物，并正在帮助管理潜在的“禽流感”大流行的威胁。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Synthetic biology is an emerging field that has as its goal the design and synthesis of new biological entities with specific functions. In doing so, synthetic biologists will develop methods to study biology from a bottom up approach and technologies that revolutionize medicine. To accomplish this requires the use of well established molecular biology techniques to synthesize biological systems and organisms. We have chosen to synthesize a restructured Escherichia coli strain that has an altered codon bias that will serve as a scaffold for future synthetic biology projects. This goal is within reach, with the scientific community having performed similar constructions of entire viral genomes. The project will rely on genome synthesis using polymerase assisted multiplex gene synthesis and homologous recombination, techniques already used independently to synthesize large portions of genomic DNA and create genetically engineered organisms, respectively. In addition, the recent development of microfluidic DNA synthesis has lowered the cost of oligonucleotide synthesis, making the total synthesis of bacterial genomes economically feasible. These favorable economics coupled with the first successful bacteria synthesis will initiate future projects that develop strains of bacteria with functions including the destruction of tumors, the synthesis of Pharmaceuticals, and biomonitoring. The design and synthesis of organisms with novel properties is useful to biotechnology and medicine. Because living organisms are energetically efficient and extremely specific in their functions, living devices for disease detection, disease eradication, and pharmaceutical production can perform needed functions in a very specific and energy efficient manner. Work in synthetic biology has already yielded medical diagnostics, biologically synthesized Pharmaceuticals, and is helping to manage threats from the potential 'bird-flu' pandemic.