Abstract
The Synthetic Genome Summer Course was convened with the aim of teaching a wide range of researchers the theory and practical skills behind recent advances in synthetic biology and synthetic genome science, with a focus on Sc2.0, the synthetic yeast genome project. Through software workshops, tutorials and research talks from leading members of the field, the 30 attendees learnt about relevant principles and techniques that they were then able to implement first-hand in laboratory-based practical sessions. Participants SCRaMbLEd semi-synthetic yeast strains to diversify heterologous pathways, used automation to build combinatorial pathway libraries and used CRISPR to debug fitness defects caused by synthetic chromosome design changes. Societal implications of synthetic chromosomes were explored and industrial stakeholders discussed synthetic biology from a commercial standpoint. Over the 5 days, participants gained valuable insight and acquired skills to aid them in future synthetic genome research.
Highlights
The Synthetic Genome Summer Course was convened with the aim of teaching a wide range of researchers the theory and practical skills behind recent advances in synthetic biology and synthetic genome science, with a focus on Sc2.0, the synthetic yeast genome project
Synthetic genome science was first highlighted to the wider scientific community by the announcement that a mycoplasma cell was functioning after having its genome replaced by an entirely chemically synthesized genome [1]
We identified a summer course as a way to teach researchers from around the world the techniques involved in building a synthetic genome, with a focus on the design, assembly and implementation strategies of the Sc2.0 project
Summary
Synthetic genome science was first highlighted to the wider scientific community by the announcement that a mycoplasma cell was functioning after having its genome replaced by an entirely chemically synthesized genome [1]. As well as incorporating synthetic watermark sequences, PCRTags, into coding sequences, every TAG stop codon has been recoded to TAA for future TAG codon repurposing. This repurposing could potentially include encoding of nonnatural amino acids for incorporation into peptides or alterations in codon usage for biocontainment or virus resistance [3, 6]. Unlike in other projects, once Sc2.0 synthetic chromosomes are published, strains containing them become freely available for researchers and companies alike, with the hope that the strains will be a valuable resource for the wider scientific community [8].
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