bioRxiv Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/079095

Engineering species-like barriers to sexual reproduction

Maciej Maselko·Stephen C. Heinsch·Jeremy Chacôn·William Harcombe·Michael J. Smanski
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

We introduce a novel approach to engineer a genetic barrier to sexual reproduction between otherwise compatible populations. Programmable transcription factors drive lethal gene expression in hybrid offspring following undesired mating events. As a proof of concept, we target the ACT1 promoter of the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a dCas9-based transcriptional activator. Lethal over-expression of actin results from mating this engineered strain with a strain containing the wild-type ACT1 promoter.

Source connections

Explore related subjects

Synthetic BiologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

Maciej Maselko, Stephen C. Heinsch, Jeremy Chacôn, William Harcombe, Michael J. Smanski. 2016-10-04. Engineering species-like barriers to sexual reproduction. https://doi.org/10.1101/079095

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2016

Programming mRNA decay to modulate synthetic circuit resource allocation

Synthetic biomolecular networks embedded in host-cells compete with cellular processes for limited intracellular resources. Resource utilization is a major variable that impacts synthetic circuit behavior. Here we show that intracellular resources could be diverted from cellular operations to a synthetic circuit by programming global mRNA decay using the sequence-dependent endoribonuclease MazF. Synthetic circuit genes were protected from MazF activity by recoding the gene sequence to eliminate recognition sites, while preserving the amino acid sequence. The expression of a protected fluorescent reporter and the metabolic flux of a high-value metabolite gluconate were significantly enhanced using this genome-scale control strategy. Proteomics measurements discovered a key host translation factor in need of protection to optimize the resource redistribution activity. A dynamic computational model demonstrated that the MazF mRNA-decay feedback loop achieved proportional control of MazF levels in an optimal operating regime. RNA-seq time-series measurements of MazF-induced cells elucidated the dynamic shifts in the transcript abundance and discovered regulatory design elements that could be used to expand the control mechanisms of the MazF resource allocator. Together, these results demonstrated that manipulation of resource allocation is a tunable parameter that can be used to redirect resources away from cellular processes to synthetic circuits to enhance target functions.

Synthetic Biology↗
bioRxiv2016

Biosynthesis of the Antibiotic Nonribosomal Peptide Penicillin in Baker’s Yeast

Fungi are a valuable source of enzymatic diversity and therapeutic natural products including antibiotics. By taking genes from a filamentous fungus and directing their efficient expression and subcellular localisation, we here engineer the bakers yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce and secrete the antibiotic penicillin, a beta-lactam nonribosomal peptide. Using synthetic biology tools combined with long-read DNA sequencing, we optimise productivity by 50-fold to produce bioactive yields that allow spent S. cerevisiae growth media to have antibacterial action against Streptococcus bacteria. This work demonstrates that S. cerevisiae can be engineered to perform the complex biosynthesis of multicellular fungi, opening up the possibility of using yeast to accelerate rational engineering of nonribosomal peptide antibiotics.

Synthetic Biology↗
bioRxiv2016

Catalyzed Synthesis of Zinc Clays by Prebiotic Central Metabolites

How primordial metabolic networks such as the reverse tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle and clay mineral catalysts coevolved remains a mystery in the puzzle to understand the origin of life. While prebiotic reactions from the rTCA cycle were accomplished via photochemistry on semiconductor minerals, the synthesis of clays was demonstrated at low temperature and ambient pressure catalyzed by oxalate. Herein, the crystallization of clay minerals is catalyzed by succinate, an example of a photoproduced intermediate from central metabolism. The experiments connect the synthesis of sauconite, a model for clay minerals, to prebiotic photochemistry. We report the temperature, pH, and concentration dependence on succinate for the synthesis of sauconite identifying new mechanisms of clay formation in surface environments of rocky planets. The work demonstrates that seeding induces nucleation at low temperatures accelerating the crystallization process. Cryogenic and conventional transmission electron microscopies, X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, and measurements of total surface area are used to build a three-dimensional representation of the clay. These results suggest the coevolution of clay minerals and early metabolites in our planet could have been facilitated by sunlight photochemistry, which played a significant role in the complex interplay between rocks and life over geological time.

Synthetic Biology↗