From essential to persistent genes: a functional approach to constructing synthetic life

Carlos G. Acevedo-Rocha, Gang Fang, Markus Schmidt, David Ussery, Antoine Danchin

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    390 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    A central undertaking in synthetic biology (SB) is the quest for the ‘minimal genome’. However, ‘minimal sets’ of essential genes are strongly context-dependent and, in all prokaryotic genomes sequenced to date, not a single protein-coding gene is entirely conserved. Furthermore, a lack of consensus in the field as to what attributes make a gene truly essential adds another aspect of variation. Thus, a universal minimal genome remains elusive. Here, as an alternative to defining a minimal genome, we propose that the concept of gene persistence can be used to classify genes needed for robust long-term survival. Persistent genes, although not ubiquitous, are conserved in a majority of genomes, tend to be expressed at high levels, and are frequently located on the leading DNA strand. These criteria impose constraints on genome organization, and these are important considerations for engineering cells and for creating cellular life-like forms in SB.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalTrends in Genetics
    Volume29
    Issue number5
    Pages (from-to)273-279
    ISSN0168-9525
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013

    Keywords

    • LUCA
    • minimal cell
    • minimal genome
    • synthetic genomics
    • chassis
    • xenobiology

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'From essential to persistent genes: a functional approach to constructing synthetic life'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this