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Cole J, Schulman R. Limiting the Broadcast Range of a Secreting Cell during Intercellular Signaling Using Protease-Mediated Degradation. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:2019-2028. [PMID: 38885472 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.4c00042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Synthetic biology is revolutionizing our approaches to biocomputing, diagnostics, and environmental monitoring through the use of designed genetic circuits that perform a function within a single cell. More complex functions can be performed by multiple cells that coordinate as they perform different subtasks. Cell-cell communication using molecular signals is particularly suited for aiding in this communication, but the number of molecules that can be used in different communication channels is limited. Here we investigate how proteases can limit the broadcast range of communicating cells. We find that adding barrierpepsin to Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells in two-dimensional multicellular networks that use α-factor signaling prevents cells beyond a specific radius from responding to α-factor signals. Such limiting of the broadcast range of cells could allow multiple cells to use the same signaling molecules to direct different communication processes and functions, provided that they are far enough from one another. These results suggest a means by which complex synthetic cellular networks using only a few signals for communication could be created by structuring a community of cells to create distinct broadcast environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Cole
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Rebecca Schulman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
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2
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Sabuwala B, Hari K, Shanmuga Vengatasalam A, Jolly MK. Coupled mutual inhibition and mutual activation motifs as tools for cell-fate control. Cells Tissues Organs 2023:000529558. [PMID: 36758523 DOI: 10.1159/000529558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Multistability is central to biological systems as it plays a crucial role in adaptation, evolvability, and differentiation. The presence of positive feedback loops can enable multistability. The simplest of such feedback loops are a) a mutual inhibition loop (MI), b) a mutual activation loop (MA), and c) self-activation, all three of them known to give rise to bistability. However, the characteristic differences in the bistability exhibited by these motifs are relatively less understood. Here, we use dynamical simulations across a large ensemble of parameter sets and initial conditions to study the bistability characteristics of these motifs. Furthermore, we investigate the utility of these motifs for achieving coordinated expression through cyclic and parallel coupling amongst them. Our analysis revealed that MI-based architectures offer discrete and robust control over gene expression, multistability, and coordinated expression among multiple genes, as compared to MA-based architectures. We then devised a combination of MI and MA architectures to improve coordination and multistability. Such designs help improve our understanding of the control structures involved in robust cell-fate decisions and provide a way to achieve controlled decision-making in synthetic systems.
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Walker RSK, Pretorius IS. Synthetic biology for the engineering of complex wine yeast communities. NATURE FOOD 2022; 3:249-254. [PMID: 37118192 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-022-00487-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Wine fermentation is a representation of complex higher-order microbial interactions. Despite the beneficial properties that these communities bring to wine, their complexity poses challenges in predicting the nature and outcome of fermentation. Technological developments in synthetic biology enable the potential to engineer synthetic microbial communities for new purposes. Here we present the challenges and applications of engineered yeast communities in the context of a wine fermentation vessel, how this represents a model system to enable novel solutions for winemaking and introduce the concept of a 'synthetic' terroir. Furthermore, we introduce our vision for the application of control engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy S K Walker
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Isak S Pretorius
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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Carignano A, Chen DH, Mallory C, Wright RC, Seelig G, Klavins E. Modular, robust and extendible multicellular circuit design in yeast. eLife 2022; 11:74540. [PMID: 35312478 PMCID: PMC9000959 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Division of labor between cells is ubiquitous in biology but the use of multi-cellular consortia for engineering applications is only beginning to be explored. A significant advantage of multi-cellular circuits is their potential to be modular with respect to composition but this claim has not yet been extensively tested using experiments and quantitative modeling. Here, we construct a library of 24 yeast strains capable of sending, receiving or responding to three molecular signals, characterize them experimentally and build quantitative models of their input-output relationships. We then compose these strains into two- and three-strain cascades as well as a four-strain bistable switch and show that experimentally measured consortia dynamics can be predicted from the models of the constituent parts. To further explore the achievable range of behaviors, we perform a fully automated computational search over all two-, three- and four-strain consortia to identify combinations that realize target behaviors including logic gates, band-pass filters and time pulses. Strain combinations that are predicted to map onto a target behavior are further computationally optimized and then experimentally tested. Experiments closely track computational predictions. The high reliability of these model descriptions further strengthens the feasibility and highlights the potential for distributed computing in synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Carignano
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - Dai Hua Chen
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - Cannon Mallory
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | | | - Georg Seelig
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - Eric Klavins
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
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5
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A light tunable differentiation system for the creation and control of consortia in yeast. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5829. [PMID: 34611168 PMCID: PMC8492667 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26129-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Artificial microbial consortia seek to leverage division-of-labour to optimize function and possess immense potential for bioproduction. Co-culturing approaches, the preferred mode of generating a consortium, remain limited in their ability to give rise to stable consortia having finely tuned compositions. Here, we present an artificial differentiation system in budding yeast capable of generating stable microbial consortia with custom functionalities from a single strain at user-defined composition in space and in time based on optogenetically-driven genetic rewiring. Owing to fast, reproducible, and light-tunable dynamics, our system enables dynamic control of consortia composition in continuous cultures for extended periods. We further demonstrate that our system can be extended in a straightforward manner to give rise to consortia with multiple subpopulations. Our artificial differentiation strategy establishes a novel paradigm for the creation of complex microbial consortia that are simple to implement, precisely controllable, and versatile to use.
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Guiziou S, Chu JC, Nemhauser JL. Decoding and recoding plant development. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 187:515-526. [PMID: 35237818 PMCID: PMC8491033 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The development of multicellular organisms has been studied for centuries, yet many critical events and mechanisms of regulation remain challenging to observe directly. Early research focused on detailed observational and comparative studies. Molecular biology has generated insights into regulatory mechanisms, but only for a limited number of species. Now, synthetic biology is bringing these two approaches together, and by adding the possibility of sculpting novel morphologies, opening another path to understanding biology. Here, we review a variety of recently invented techniques that use CRISPR/Cas9 and phage integrases to trace the differentiation of cells over various timescales, as well as to decode the molecular states of cells in high spatiotemporal resolution. Most of these tools have been implemented in animals. The time is ripe for plant biologists to adopt and expand these approaches. Here, we describe how these tools could be used to monitor development in diverse plant species, as well as how they could guide efforts to recode programs of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Guiziou
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Jonah C. Chu
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Jennifer L. Nemhauser
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Author for communication:
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Arita Y, Kim G, Li Z, Friesen H, Turco G, Wang RY, Climie D, Usaj M, Hotz M, Stoops EH, Baryshnikova A, Boone C, Botstein D, Andrews BJ, McIsaac RS. A genome-scale yeast library with inducible expression of individual genes. Mol Syst Biol 2021; 17:e10207. [PMID: 34096681 PMCID: PMC8182650 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202110207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to switch a gene from off to on and monitor dynamic changes provides a powerful approach for probing gene function and elucidating causal regulatory relationships. Here, we developed and characterized YETI (Yeast Estradiol strains with Titratable Induction), a collection in which > 5,600 yeast genes are engineered for transcriptional inducibility with single-gene precision at their native loci and without plasmids. Each strain contains SGA screening markers and a unique barcode, enabling high-throughput genetics. We characterized YETI using growth phenotyping and BAR-seq screens, and we used a YETI allele to identify the regulon of Rof1, showing that it acts to repress transcription. We observed that strains with inducible essential genes that have low native expression can often grow without inducer. Analysis of data from eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems shows that native expression is a variable that can bias promoter-perturbing screens, including CRISPRi. We engineered a second expression system, Z3 EB42, that gives lower expression than Z3 EV, a feature enabling conditional activation and repression of lowly expressed essential genes that grow without inducer in the YETI library.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Arita
- Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular ResearchUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
- RIKEN Centre for Sustainable Resource ScienceWakoSaitamaJapan
| | - Griffin Kim
- Calico Life Sciences LLCSouth San FranciscoCAUSA
| | - Zhijian Li
- Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular ResearchUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
| | - Helena Friesen
- Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular ResearchUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
| | - Gina Turco
- Calico Life Sciences LLCSouth San FranciscoCAUSA
| | | | - Dale Climie
- Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular ResearchUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
| | - Matej Usaj
- Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular ResearchUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
| | - Manuel Hotz
- Calico Life Sciences LLCSouth San FranciscoCAUSA
| | | | | | - Charles Boone
- Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular ResearchUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
- RIKEN Centre for Sustainable Resource ScienceWakoSaitamaJapan
- Department of Molecular GeneticsUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
| | | | - Brenda J Andrews
- Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular ResearchUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
- Department of Molecular GeneticsUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
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8
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Genetic circuit design automation for yeast. Nat Microbiol 2020; 5:1349-1360. [DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-0757-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Barbier I, Perez‐Carrasco R, Schaerli Y. Controlling spatiotemporal pattern formation in a concentration gradient with a synthetic toggle switch. Mol Syst Biol 2020; 16:e9361. [PMID: 32529808 PMCID: PMC7290156 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20199361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression is frequently guided by gradients of diffusible signaling molecules. The toggle switch subnetwork, composed of two cross-repressing transcription factors, is a common component of gene regulatory networks in charge of patterning, converting the continuous information provided by the gradient into discrete abutting stripes of gene expression. We present a synthetic biology framework to understand and characterize the spatiotemporal patterning properties of the toggle switch. To this end, we built a synthetic toggle switch controllable by diffusible molecules in Escherichia coli. We analyzed the patterning capabilities of the circuit by combining quantitative measurements with a mathematical reconstruction of the underlying dynamical system. The toggle switch can produce robust patterns with sharp boundaries, governed by bistability and hysteresis. We further demonstrate how the hysteresis, position, timing, and precision of the boundary can be controlled, highlighting the dynamical flexibility of the circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Içvara Barbier
- Department of Fundamental MicrobiologyUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Rubén Perez‐Carrasco
- Department of Life SciencesImperial College LondonSouth Kensington CampusLondonUK
- Department of MathematicsUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Yolanda Schaerli
- Department of Fundamental MicrobiologyUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
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Bartley BA, Beal J, Karr JR, Strychalski EA. Organizing genome engineering for the gigabase scale. Nat Commun 2020; 11:689. [PMID: 32019919 PMCID: PMC7000699 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14314-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-scale engineering holds great potential to impact science, industry, medicine, and society, and recent improvements in DNA synthesis have enabled the manipulation of megabase genomes. However, coordinating and integrating the workflows and large teams necessary for gigabase genome engineering remains a considerable challenge. We examine this issue and recommend a path forward by: 1) adopting and extending existing representations for designs, assembly plans, samples, data, and workflows; 2) developing new technologies for data curation and quality control; 3) conducting fundamental research on genome-scale modeling and design; and 4) developing new legal and contractual infrastructure to facilitate collaboration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacob Beal
- Raytheon BBN Technologies, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Jonathan R Karr
- Icahn Institute and Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10128, USA
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11
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Payen C, Thompson D. The renaissance of yeasts as microbial factories in the modern age of biomanufacturing. Yeast 2019; 36:685-700. [DOI: 10.1002/yea.3439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Celia Payen
- DuPont Nutrition and Biosciences Wilmington Delaware
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