THE SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY PROJECT
BACK TO THE LAB
Understanding the science behind Synthetic Biology
Over the past few topics, we have seen how Synthetic Biology can be relevant to our lives, from genetically modified food, to medical technologies and vaccines. But how did the science to all of these come about? So let’s go back to where it started - in the lab!
The building blocks of life
DNA, aka deoxyribonuclease acid, is the molecular material that carries all the genetic information needed to build and maintain a living organism. It is found in most cells in all living organisms, usually tightly wound up into a structure called chromosomes [1,2].
DNA itself is a complicated molecule, being composed of smaller subunits called nucleotides. There are four different types of DNA nucleotides: adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine. These bases are arranged in specific sequences, essentially functioning as a code or “blueprint” of genetic information. Human DNA contains around 3 billion nucleotide base pairs worth of genetic instructions!
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Genes are specific sections of DNA, which provide the base instructions to make a particular protein. To make a protein, the section of DNA is copied using another type of nucleic acid, called mRNA. mRNA are a set of temporary instructions that get taken to a structure in the cell called a ribosome. The protein is assembled bit by bit by putting together amino acids.
These proteins then go on to have various functions or create other components in the cell, allowing for all the complicated processes that make up and maintain life in an organism!
From DNA to Protein
Video source: yourgenome
3D animation showing how proteins are made from DNA.
white blood cells: aka immune cells, work together to fight infection in your body. This includes B cells, T cells, natural killer cells, macrophages, and many other immune cell types.
antibodies: made by B cells, that are an essential part of the immune system and vaccine response. They mark pathogens so that immune cells can find and fight them.
Synthetic Biology in the Lab
There are a number of different laboratory techniques used in the Synthetic Biology field. Some of these include PCR and sequencing, genetic modification, cell culture and tissue engineering (find out more below). Other types of SynBio science include systems biology, protocells, data science and biomolecular engineering [3,4,5]!
Genetic modification involves making changes to the genetic material of an organism, usually by editing a section of a gene or inserting a gene.
Genetic Modification
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is used to amplify DNA at large quantities, which can then be sequenced to determine the DNA code.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is used to amplify DNA at large quantities, which can then be sequenced to determine the DNA code.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is used to amplify DNA at large quantities, which can then be sequenced to determine the DNA code.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is used to amplify DNA at large quantities, which can then be sequenced to determine the DNA code.
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Click on each box to find out more!
Have you used or heard of these techniques before?
CRISPR/Cas9 genetic editing
Image source: HHMI BioInteractive
Interactive model showing how CRISPR/Cas9 (a new genetic editing technique) works.
antibodies: made by B cells, that are an essential part of the immune system and vaccine response. They mark pathogens so that immune cells can find and fight them.
Did you learn anything new about SynBio? Let us know below in the comments!
white blood cells: aka immune cells, work together to fight infection in your body. This includes B cells, T cells, natural killer cells, macrophages, and many other immune cell types.
What are the ethical and social implications?
There are a number of ethical and social implications to consider when conducting synthetic biology research [3,4. As synthetic biology often involves DNA manipulation, there can be issued around the environmental impact of engineered organisms. In particular biosecurity, i.e, if release into the wild would have impact on existing wildlife or the habitat. There are also concerns of bioterrorism if technology was used for malicious purposes. Measures may need to be taken to prevent accidental or uncontrolled release.
Furthermore, there is critical discussion around the ethics of creating or manipulating biological systems, for example, whether it redefines what we consider as life itself. What sort of genetic editing is acceptable, for example people may accept genetic editing to address medical issues, but may find editing for enhancements problematic. Ownership around synthetic biology technologies as well as equitable access to its use and benefits are other important factors to consider.
Overall, ​synthetic biology has a lot of potential for addressing pressing medical and environmental concerns, such as solving issues like malnutrition and curing diseases. However, evaluating risk vs. benefit is important. Continued discussion and careful consideration of these implications is needed as the field continues to evolve.
References:
1. DNA Is a Structure That Encodes Biological Information [Internet]. Nature Publishing Group; [cited 2023 Sept 20]. Available from: https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/DNA-Is-a-Structure-that-Encodes-Information-6493050/
2. What is DNA?: Medlineplus Genetics [Internet]. U.S. National Library of Medicine; [cited 2023 Sept 20]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/basics/dna/
3. Calladine AM, ter Meulen R. Synthetic Biology. Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics. 2012;281–8. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-373932-2.00429-4
4. Garner KL. Principles of Synthetic Biology. Essays in Biochemistry. 2021;65(5):791–811. doi:10.1042/ebc20200059
5. Sheets MB, Atkinson JT, Styczynski MP, Aurand ER. Introduction to engineering biology: A conceptual framework for teaching synthetic biology. ACS Synthetic Biology. 2023;12(6):1574–8. doi:10.1021/acssynbio.3c00194
7. PCR Basics [Internet]. Thermo Fisher Scientific; [cited 2023 Sept 25]. Available from: https://www.thermofisher.com/au/en/home/life-science/cloning/cloning-learning-center/invitrogen-school-of-molecular-biology/pcr-education/pcr-reagents-enzymes/pcr-basics.html
8. DNA sequencing fact sheet [Internet]. National Human Genome Research Institute; [cited 2023 Sept 25]. Available from: https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/DNA-Sequencing-Fact-Sheet
9. Recombinant DNA technology [Internet]. National Human Genome Research Institute; [cited 2023 Sept 25]. Available from: https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Recombinant-DNA-Technology
10. What are genome editing and CRISPR-Cas9?: Medlineplus Genetics [Internet]. U.S. National Library of Medicine; [cited 2023 Sept 25]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/genomicresearch/genomeediting/
11. Komor AC, Badran AH, Liu DR. CRISPR-based technologies for the manipulation of eukaryotic genomes. Cell. 2017;168(1–2):20–36. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2016.10.044
12. Introduction to cell culture [Internet]. Thermo Fisher Scientific; [cited 2023 Sept 25]. Available from: https://www.thermofisher.com/au/en/home/references/gibco-cell-culture-basics/introduction-to-cell-culture.html
13. Segeritz C-P, Vallier L. Cell culture. Basic Science Methods for Clinical Researchers. 2017;151–72. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-803077-6.00009-6
14. Davies JA, Cachat E. Synthetic Biology meets tissue engineering. Biochemical Society Transactions. 2016;44(3):696–701. doi:10.1042/bst20150289
15. Hoffman T, Antovski P, Tebon P, Xu C, Ashammakhi N, Ahadian S, et al. Synthetic Biology and tissue engineering: Toward fabrication of complex and Smart Cellular constructs. Advanced Functional Materials. 2020;30(26). doi:10.1002/adfm.201909882
16. Synthetic Biology [Internet]. National Human Genome Research Institute; [cited 2023 Sept 26]. Available from: https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/policy-issues/Synthetic-Biology
