Synthetic Biology: Molecular Tools for Engineering Organisms

Abstract Synthetic biology is a biological engineering discipline based on abstracting living systems through the lens of physical engineering concepts. In particular, synthetic biology places an emphasis on the characterisation of simple parts that can be modularly assembled into configurations that give rise to complex, higher‐order behaviours. Within the past two decades, this approach has enabled the development number of new molecular biology tools for modifying living systems in order to investigate fundamental processes or imbuing functions into cells that do not exist in nature. While specific synthetic biology applications span a huge range of seemingly unrelated disciplines (from biofuel producing microbes, to malaria‐resistant mosquitoes, to living medical therapies), these distinct examples derive from reuse and rearrangement of relatively limited set of cell engineering technologies. The continuing development of these core molecular biology tools for controlling gene expression, protein activity and signalling networks can promote evermore ambitious biological engineering projects. Key Concepts Synthetic biology is a discipline for biological engineering using principles of physical engineering. Complex biological systems can be abstracted as a set of core ‘parts’ with separable functions. A biological part is modular when it confers a discrete function, which can be repurposed and rearranged in many different contexts while maintaining fidelity. Biological systems naturally display many modular features that are evident at many different scales. Synthetic biology attempts to identify, characterise and repurpose biological modules to build devices with novel functions. The field has created several new molecular biology tools for controlling living systems through exploiting the recombination of modular parts. The tools of synthetic biology are frequently used to imbue organisms with technologically useful traits. As synthetic biology expands beyond model microbes, its potential to contribute to our fundamental understanding of biology continues to increase.