Synthetic Biology

A conserved phenylalanine motif among Teleost fish provides insight for improving electromagnetic perception

1. Brianna Ricker
2. E. Alejandro Castellanos Franco
3. Gustavo de los Campos
4. Galit Pelled
5. Assaf A. Gilad

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Design and construction towards a pan-microbial toolkit

1. Charlie Gilbert
2. Alexander Crits-Christoph
3. Elise Ledieu-Dherbécourt
4. Shinyoung Clair Kang
5. Stephanie L. Brumwell
6. Henry H. Lee
7. Nili Ostrov

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Autotrophic growth of Escherichia coli is achieved by a small number of genetic changes

1. Roee Ben Nissan
2. Eliya Milshtein
3. Vanessa Pahl
4. Benoit de Pins
5. Ghil Jona
6. Dikla Levi
7. Hadas Yung
8. Noga Nir
9. Dolev Ezra
10. Shmuel Gleizer
11. Hannes Link
12. Elad Noor
13. Ron Milo

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This is an important follow-up study to a previous paper in which the authors reconstituted CO2 metabolism (autotrophy) in Escherichia coli. Here, the authors define a set of just three mutations that promote autotrophy, highlighting the malleability of E. coli metabolism. The authors make a convincing case that mutations in pgi are loss-of-function mutations that prevent metabolic efflux from the reductive pentose phosphate autocatalytic cycle, and their data suggest possible roles of mutations in two other genes - crp and rpoB. This research will be particularly interesting to synthetic biologists, systems biologists, and metabolic engineers aiming to develop synthetic autotrophic microorganisms.

Reviewed by eLife

Repurposing the mammalian RNA-binding protein Musashi-1 as an allosteric translation repressor in bacteria

1. Roswitha Dolcemascolo
2. María Heras-Hernández
3. Lucas Goiriz
4. Roser Montagud-Martínez
5. Alejandro Requena-Menéndez
6. Raúl Ruiz
7. Anna Pérez-Ràfols
8. R Anahí Higuera-Rodríguez
9. Guillermo Pérez-Ropero
10. Wim F Vranken
11. Tommaso Martelli
12. Wolfgang Kaiser
13. Jos Buijs
14. Guillermo Rodrigo

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study demonstrates the use of the mammalian Musashi-1 (MSI-1) RNA-binding protein as a tool for regulating gene expression in Escherichia coli. The authors provide convincing evidence that MSI-1 functions as an effective repressor of translation, and that MSI-1 can be allosterically controlled by oleic acid. This work establishes MSI-1 as a potential tool for synthetic biology applications, and the system developed here can be used for mechanistic studies of MSI-1.

Reviewed by eLife

Comprehensive mutagenesis maps the effect of all single-codon mutations in the AAV2 rep gene on AAV production

1. Nina K Jain
2. Pierce J Ogden
3. George M Church

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study presents a valuable and comprehensive mutagenesis map of the AAV2 rep gene, which will undoubtedly capture the interest of scientists working with adeno-associated viruses and those engaged in the field of gene therapy. The thorough characterization of massive rep variants across multiple AAV production systems bolsters the claims made in the study, highlighting its utility in enhancing our understanding of Rep protein function and advancing gene therapy applications. The evidence presented is convincing and establishes a strong foundation that will stimulate and inform future research in the field.

Reviewed by eLife

Light-inducible protein degradation in E. coli with the LOVdeg tag

1. Nathan Tague
2. Cristian Coriano-Ortiz
3. Michael B Sheets
4. Mary J Dunlop

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study reports on a new tool that allows for light-controlled protein degradation in Escherichia coli. With the improved light-responsive protein tag, endogenous protein levels can be reduced severalfold. The methodology is convincing and will be of interest to the fields of gene expression regulation in bacteria and, more generally to synthetic biologists.

Reviewed by eLife

IS200/IS605 Family-Associated TnpB Increases Transposon Activity and Retention

1. Davneet Kaur
2. Thomas E. Kuhlman

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study uses an innovative set of reporter assays to probe the role of the TnpB protein in IS608 transposition. The work provides independent support for the recently reported homing activity of TnpB, where the transposon is restored following excision, and suggests an additional function for TnpB in enhancing the transposase activity of the TnpA transposase. The overall approach is solid, but the authors should consider how the activity of the TnpB protein used, or the levels of ωRNA, impact their model.

Reviewed by eLife

BRAIDing receptors for cell-specific targeting

1. Hui Chen
2. Sung-Jin Lee
3. Ryan Li
4. Asmiti Sura
5. Nicholas Suen
6. Archana Dilip
7. Yan Pomogov
8. Meghah Vuppalapaty
9. Timothy T Suen
10. Chenggang Lu
11. Yorick Post
12. Yang Li

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study presents a new way to selectively activate a cell signaling pathway in a specific cell type by designer ligands that link signaling co-receptors to a marker specific to the target cells. Convincing experimental results demonstrate that the agonist molecules activate Wnt signaling in target cells expressing the marker as intended. More broadly, this concept could be used to induce Wnt signaling or another pathway initiated by co-receptor association in a cell type-specific manner. In vitro results in this study could be further strengthened by assessing the biological consequences of Wnt activation in target cells.

Reviewed by eLife

Complex waste stream valorisation through combined enzymatic hydrolysis and catabolic assimilation by Pseudomonas putida

1. Guadalupe Alvarez-Gonzalez
2. Micaela Chacόn
3. Adokiye Berepiki
4. Karl Fisher
5. Piya Gosalvitr
6. Rosa Cuéllar-Franca
7. Neil Dixon

Reviewed by PREreview

Effects of growth feedback on adaptive gene circuits: A dynamical understanding

1. Ling-Wei Kong
2. Wenjia Shi
3. Xiao-Jun Tian
4. Ying-Cheng Lai

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study focuses on the impact of growth feedback on the performance of artificial gene circuits capable of achieving adaptive responses, a significant problem in synthetic biology. Through solid computational analysis, the authors identify specific failure mechanisms, as well as core topologies associated with robust performance based on systematic analysis of over four hundred circuit topologies. The results will be of interest to those working on engineering gene circuits for diverse applications.

Reviewed by eLife