Standards for plant synthetic biology: a common syntax for exchange of DNA parts

New Phytol. 2015 Oct;208(1):13-9. doi: 10.1111/nph.13532. Epub 2015 Jul 14.

Abstract

Inventors in the field of mechanical and electronic engineering can access multitudes of components and, thanks to standardization, parts from different manufacturers can be used in combination with each other. The introduction of BioBrick standards for the assembly of characterized DNA sequences was a landmark in microbial engineering, shaping the field of synthetic biology. Here, we describe a standard for Type IIS restriction endonuclease-mediated assembly, defining a common syntax of 12 fusion sites to enable the facile assembly of eukaryotic transcriptional units. This standard has been developed and agreed by representatives and leaders of the international plant science and synthetic biology communities, including inventors, developers and adopters of Type IIS cloning methods. Our vision is of an extensive catalogue of standardized, characterized DNA parts that will accelerate plant bioengineering.

Keywords: DNA assembly; GoldenGate; Type IIS restriction endonucleases; cloning; genetic syntax; synthetic biology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Botany
  • Cloning, Molecular / methods*
  • DNA*
  • Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific / metabolism
  • Eukaryota / genetics
  • Genetic Engineering / methods*
  • Genetic Engineering / standards
  • Plants / genetics*
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / genetics*
  • Plasmids
  • Reference Standards
  • Synthetic Biology / methods*
  • Transcription, Genetic

Substances

  • DNA
  • Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific