Title

Engineered gene circuits that program population dynamics: a review

Authors

Yu Tanouchi, Duke University
Robert P. Smith, Nova Southeastern University; Carleton UniversityFollow
L. You

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2012

Publication Title

Current Opinion in Biotechnology

ISSN

0958-1669

Volume

23

Issue/No.

5

First Page

791

Last Page

979

Abstract

A major goal of biological research is to provide a mechanistic understanding of diverse biological processes. To this end, synthetic biology offers a powerful approach, whereby biological questions can be addressed in a well-defined framework. By constructing simple gene circuits, such studies have generated new insights into the design principles of gene regulatory networks. Recently, this strategy has been applied to analyze ecological and evolutionary questions, where population-level interactions are critical. Here, we highlight recent development of such systems and discuss how they were used to address problems in ecology and evolutionary biology. As illustrated by these examples, synthetic ecosystems provide a unique platform to study ecological and evolutionary phenomena that are challenging to study in their natural contexts.

NSUWorks Citation

Tanouchi, Yu; Robert P. Smith; and L. You. 2012. "Engineered gene circuits that program population dynamics: a review." Current Opinion in Biotechnology 23, (5): 791-979. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cnso_bio_facarticles/134