Engineering Synthetic Genetic Circuits in Plants

A broad goal of Synthetic Biology consists in designing and implementing synthetic gene networks (or circuits) that introduce predictable and controllable functions in living organisms.  Significant progress has been made towards engineering synthetic circuits in unicellular organisms, such as bacteria and yeast.  However, there has been a considerable lag in the development of similar circuits in higher multicellular organisms such as animals and plants, mainly due to their increased complexity (e.g., presence of diverse organs and tissues, complex signaling, and complex gene regulation).  We have engineered and implemented several synthetic genetic circuits in plants, among them a synthetic sensing and signaling circuit, which consists of three interconnected modules that may be customized for the input and output of interest.  In addition, we are also developing digital genetic modules that allow cells to perform more complex computation, such as Boolean logic operations, signal amplification, and reversible switching.  This technology can be applied for basic research studies in plants, as well as for more practical purposes, such as national security, environmental monitoring and bioremediation, and production of valuable compounds.