Emerging Synthetic Biology Techniques: Synthetic DNA, Metabolic Pathways, and Life

As the body of biological knowledge rapidly expands, biotechnologists are increasingly able to manipulate natural systems through techniques such as recombination and directed evolution (DE). The emerging field of synthetic biology leverages multidisciplinary knowledge in the synthesis of novel biological building blocks, optimized metabolic pathways, and even artificial organisms, theoretically toward the goal of building cellular factories that are more tractable and productive than their wild-type, recombinant, or DE predecessors. Synthetic biology encompasses two overarching themes: changing existing systems to improve overall function, and creating de novo systems that do not exist in nature. Most often, researchers pursue the former, since the technologies involved in systems manipulation are better understood than those involved in systems creation. However, the latter stands to grow exponentially as computational power increases and the various -omics disciplines (i.e., proteomics, metabolomics, etc.) mature. The authors review both themes herein, with a particular focus on synthetic DNA, synthetic metabolic pathways, and synthetic life.