Bacteriophage T7 transcription system: an enabling tool in synthetic biology

Since its discovery in the 1970s, the T7 RNA polymerase (T7 RNAP) transcription system has been applied extensively as an effective tool in molecular biology because of its robust function in various hosts, including prokaryotic, eukaryotic and cell free systems. Recently, the T7 RNAP transcription system has emerged as a critical component for synthetic biology. The present paper summarizes the advances of the T7 RNAP transcription system in synthetic biology, including the recent progress of T7 RNAP structure and its cognate promoter and terminator and its application in cell free systems, logic gates and orthogonal genetic circuits.