Synthetic Biology: Tools to Design, Build, and Optimize Cellular Processes

Figure 1

The central dogma with regulatory and environmental influences acting upon the process. The two central dogma process units (transcription and translation) and the three process streams (DNA, RNA, and protein) are depicted. These units and streams are all subject to control by both internal, regulatory and external, environmental conditions. These influences alter the central dogma process and regulatory mechanisms. Large bold arrows are used to indicate that proteins are the major workhorses of the cell, participating both in regulatory mechanisms and responding to the environment. Whether the system of interest is a signaling cascade or metabolic pathway, proteins are essential components and must become well understood and modifiable to bring about ground-up cellular optimization. Synthetic biology is developing tools to modify and control each unit and stream in this process.