Physical insulation of pathways or functions

How to build complex synthetic circuits?

• Electronic hard wired: reusability of components.

• Biology is diffusive: crosstalk

We need to find a way to insulate the different components circuits.

Pathway insulation methods

Orthogonality (chemical insulation)Family of orthogonal parts

Physical insulationScaffolding

Synthetic organelles

Synthetic ecosystems

PROJECT 2:BUILDING A NEW ORGANELLE

FOR SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY

STEP 1: Create spatially distinct membrane compartment that has unique molecular identity

wild-type cell create “synthesome” use “synthesome”

STEP 2: Recruit proteins to carryout any synbio process of choice (e.g. drug or biofuel factory)

A quick recap

An external organelle

External organelles producing cell

Targetting Components of a pathway to secretion

External organelles producing cell

Chassis

(Feeder)

External organelle

An external organelle

Chassis

(Feeder)

Attachment transmembrane proteins

An external organelle

External organelle

Chassis

(Feeder)

External organelle

Chassis

(Feeder)

communication

External organelle composition (1)

Chassis

(Feeder)

factory

Receiver

sender

Chassis(Feeder)

Function?

Advantage: part reusability

Chassis

(Feeder)

Chassis(Feeder)

State output

Example: multicolor Hasty oscillator

output

External organelle composition (2)

Chassis

(Feeder)

pathway

Starting product

product

Natural example: Nanoarchaeum equitans

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Nanoarchaeum: ABC transporters

Chassis

(Feeder)

Communication:Within eukaryotes, ABC-transporters mainly transport molecules to the outside of the plasma membrane or into membrane-bound organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, etc.

Gap junctions QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

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Natural examples