Quantitative modeling of the interplay between synthetic gene circuits and host physiology: experiments, results, and prospects

Abstract

A primary goal of synthetic biology is to develop gene circuits that perform their intended functions despite variations in the growth conditions. However, this has turned out to be more complicated than it originally seemed because there is a complex interplay between the operation of synthetic gene circuits and the global physiology of host cells. Mathematical models provide an avenue to disentangle the intricacies of this phenomenon and guide the design of synthetic circuits that robustly perform in a variety of conditions. In this work, we review quantitative modeling approaches that have been used to rationalize and predict experimental observations resulting from circuit-to-circuit and circuit-host interactions in bacteria.