Synthetic biology, genetic engineering and you: Two-component signaling pathways as elements in synthetic circuit design
(Phys.org) —Two of the most exciting areas of science and technology, synthetic biology and genetic engineering, have just taken a step towards a brave new future in which large-scale synthetic biological circuits composed of bioengineered logic gates, orthogonal to (that is, independent of) the host in which they operate, will enable a range of applications that include biosensors, gene expression control, cell motility, programmable gene circuits for cell physiology control, and other sophisticated gene circuits. This capability is based on the use of two-component regulatory system – basic stimulus-response coupling mechanisms that allow organisms to sense and respond to changes in many different environmental conditions. These systems consist of a membrane-bound histidine kinase that senses a specific environmental stimulus and a corresponding response regulator that mediates the cellular response, primarily through differential expression of target genes. ((A histidine kinase, or HK, is a multifunctional, typically transmembrane, protein involved in signal...