Design and implementation of a synthetic biomolecular concentration tracker

Abstract

As a field, synthetic biology strives to engineer increasingly complex artificial systems in living cells. Active feedback in closed loop systems offers a dynamic and adaptive way to ensure constant relative activity independent of intrinsic and extrinsic noise. In this work, we use synthetic protein scaffolds as a modular and tunable mechanism for concentration tracking through negative feedback. Input to the circuit initiates scaffold production, leading to colocalization of a two-component system and resulting in the production of an inhibitory antiscaffold protein. Using a combination of modeling and experimental work, we show that the biomolecular concentration tracker circuit achieves dynamic protein concentration tracking in Escherichia coli and that steady state outputs can be tuned.

ICB Affiliated Authors

Authors
V. Hsiao, E. L. C. de los Santos, W. R. Whitaker, J. E. Dueber, and R. M. Murray
Date
Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Journal
ACS Synthetic Biology
Emblems