Applications of Synthetic Biology in Environmental Protection and Agriculture

Feeding the growing human population and degradation of environment are two main problems facing societies across the globe. With limited and contaminated arable land and water resources, current efforts are focused on finding novel solutions for solving these challenges without placing further burden on the environment. Synthetic biologists are at the forefront of such efforts: with the help of sophisticated engineering strategies and tapping into the vast resources in cellular machinery, novel solutions have either already found their way into relevant markets or are getting close to moving form laboratory research to commercialization. Bio-based solutions for the production of fuel, detection and removal of environmental contaminants, and production of “functional food” with minimum detrimental impact on the Earth’s resources are among the major contributions of synthetic biology to overcoming human challenges in this century.

• How does synthetic biology help with solving environmental and agricultural problems?

  Synthetic biology is helping to solve worldwide efforts in preserving the environment and producing sustainable food resources through:

  • Engineering biosynthetic pathways in plants and animals to (a) increase the yield and/or nutritional value of plant or animal-origin sources of food, (b) confer new synthetic or metabolic properties to plants and animal sources of food for improved food quality and quantity, resistance to disease agents, or biosensing of environmental factors;
  • Engineering microorganism to serve as biosensors and/or agents of bioremediation for the detection and removal of environmental contaminants;
  • Developing novel and sensitive diagnostic reagents and therapeutics that improve the health of agricultural animals, and ultimately improving the quality of food produced from such animals.
• What is the advantage of applying synthetic biology strategies in solving agricultural and environmental issues?

  Employing synthetic biology strategies in solving environmental and agricultural problems is:

  • Improving the quality and quantity of the food production process in both animals and plants;
  • Enabling the production of food and energy in microorganism;
  • Minimizing the environmental impact of traditional methods of food and energy production as well as traditional methods of environmental management;
  • Saving time and money for farmers, producers and manufacturers through reducing the cost of production, increasing access to renewable and more affordable sources of feedstock, and streamlining and optimizing the production process.
• How does synthetic biology help with issues in environment and agriculture?

  Strategies and tools developed by synthetic biologist is solving important issues on environmental protection and food production through the following areas:

  • Bioenergy

    Generation of plant-based biofuels such as ethanol from corn has been around for more than two decades. Now, through synergistic efforts by synthetic biologists and metabolic pathway engineers, the overall efficiency and yield of this process has improved. Moreover, microorganisms can now be engineered to generate new forms of biofuels. A prime example is the production of biodiesel from renewable farnesene produced by engineered yeast. Efforts to engineer thermophilic bacteria as potential biofuel-producing microbes are also underway.

  • Food Production

    When it comes to producing sustainably-sourced food, synthetic biology is not only expanding the frontiers of animal and plant transgenesis as an established strategy of the last two decades, but also offering novel strategies for food production. For example in animal agriculture, engineered biosynthetic pathways comprised of genes from evolutionary lower organisms have led to the de novo synthesis of unsaturated, healthy fatty acids in an animal. Similarly, engineered pathways in microorganism can now produce food that was traditionally derived from plants: the stevia sweetener and the heart-healthy resveratrol are now produced in commercial scales using engineered. Successful use of the CRISPR technology is already showing promise in crop plants, such as wheat, to confer resistance to a devastating fungus affecting yield. Interestingly, application of synthetic biology techniques in food industry is suggested to lower food-associated allergies as a result of allergen removal through the “isolated and targeted” production of the food.

  • Biosensors

    Through engineering gene circuits and metabolic pathways, synthetic biologists are making whole-cell biosensors that are capable of detecting and measuring a variety of environmental pollutants, infectious agents, disease and drug biomarkers. These genetic circuits that are coupled with reporter genes can be complex and based on natural or non-natural sensor proteins. An example is an engineered E. coli containing an arsenic-sensing gene circuit as well as an oscillating circuit that can generate a large dynamic range fluorescence signal based on the level of the heavy metal present in the environment.

  • Bioremediation

    Synthetic biology strategies are taking existing strategies for bioremediation to a higher and more efficient levels. Construction of hybrid proteins from mammals and bacteria and their transfer to bacteria enables the development of agents with new or enhanced functions in binding toxic chemicals. For example, an engineered species of Pseudomans contains a novel and complex catabolic pathways comprised of enzymes from five different catabolic pathways from other bacteria for degrading the organic pollutant methylphenols in soil.

• Which GenScript’s services can empower applications of synthetic biology in environmental science and agriculture?

  After establishing a clear goal and developing design strategies, the following reliable services from GenScript can streamline and facilitate the “building” phase of engineering a desired host organism or biosynthetic pathway:

  • GenPlus High-Throughput Gene Synthesis: Custom orders of any size synthesized with our GenBuilder™ high efficiency assembly technology, automated platform, and NGS multiplex sequencing QC
  • Combinatorial Assembly Library: A powerful source of either naturally-occurring or de novo sequences for the discovery of new proteins with important functions
  • CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing: A one-stop solution for harnessing the power of CRISPR genome editing through partnership with the CRISPR pioneer, Feng Zhang at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard