Abstract

Abstract Advances in synthetic biology are transforming our ability to design and build synthetic biological systems. While progress has been made in the design of complex genetic circuits, capabilities for constructing large genetic systems currently surpass our ability to design such systems. This growing “design gap” has highlighted the need to develop methods that support the generation of new functional biological components and scalable design strategies for complex genetic circuits that will lay the foundation for integrated biological devices and systems. As examples of functional RNA molecules playing key roles in the behavior of natural biological systems have grown over the past decade, there has been growing interest in the design and implementation of synthetic counterparts. Researchers are taking advantage of the relative ease with which RNA molecules can be modeled and designed to engineer functional RNA molecules that act as diverse components including sensors, regulators, controllers (ligand-responsive RNA regulators), and scaffolds. These synthetic regulatory RNAs are providing new tools for temporal and spatial control in biological systems. I will describe recent work in the design of RNA controllers and advances in addressing challenges faced in their broad implementation as user-programmed control systems in living cells. In particular, I will describe the development of high-throughput cell-based screens for rapidly generating synthetic regulatory RNAs with specified quantitative properties. I will also discuss how the application of synthetic regulatory RNAs as controllers in different biological pathways are leading to the elucidation of integrated systems design strategies and new capabilities for programming genetic systems. Citation Format: Christina D. Smolke. Designing synthetic regulatory RNAs: New tools for temporal and spatial control in biological systems [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chemical Systems Biology: Assembling and Interrogating Computational Models of the Cancer Cell by Chemical Perturbations; 2012 Jun 27-30; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(13 Suppl):Abstract nr IA5.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call