synthetic networks in budding yeast
Synthetic biologists seek to engineer novel cellular functions that have a broad range of useful applications, such as the treatment of human disease or the creation of a renewable energy source. In order for engineered systems to behave predictably and specifically, the constituent components must be very well characterized, and such detailed knowledge is often lacking. Furthermore, it is unclear how effectively even well-understood parts can be combined into more sophisticated networks. These challenges are particularly acute in eukaryotic systems, which themselves are highly complex. With these scientific issues in mind, I have concentrated on the role of transcriptional regulation in synthetic networks in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
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Specifically, I have engineered a panel of novel artificial transcription factors (see cartoon on left), quantitatively characterized their ability to regulate gene expression, and re-configured a subset of these networks to build a synthetic in vivo memory device. In addition to these significant technological advances, I have addressed the degree to which the behavior of synthetic networks can be predicted from comprehensive characterization of the individual components. Thus, this work provides a foundation for building transcriptional networks with variety of topologies and functionalities in S. cerevisiae. |