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The separation of L1210 cells with columns of Con A-derivatized nylon was investigated. Most of the cells bound to the column irreversibly. The binding was lectin-specific. Cells were pulse labeled with 3H-thymidine and applied to Con A columns. Those cells not binding the columns were enriched in incorporated thymidine compared to the unseparated population. Data is presented which suggests that a small, synchronized fraction of cells synthesizing DNA at a high rate is reduced in Con A-nylon affinity. It is proposed that L1210 cell DNA synthesis is not uniform in rate and that changes in this rate are related to changes in the ability of cells to bind Con A-nylon.

Cell proliferation was studied in descending, transverse and ascending colonic crypts of rats fed either 0%, 0.6%, 1.2% or 2.0% phytic acid (PA). Significant effects of phytic acid were seen only in the descending colon. No changes in crypt height were observed. Both the 1.2 and 2.0% phytic acid groups exhibited significantly lower uppermost labelled cells than the control group. Animals given 1.2% and 2.0% phytic acid also showed significantly reduced DNA synthetic cells, as indicated by lower labelling indices.

Synthetic red blood cells have been formed by microencapsulating hemoglobin solutions in lipid mixtures. The synthetic cells are stable, being somewhat stronger than normal red blood cells, can be tailored to have the same electrophoretic mobilities, and are somewhat smaller than normal red cells. They exhibit essentially the same oxygen and carbon dioxide carrying characteristics as normal red cells and do not appear to interact with natural blood in-vivo. In experiments involving complete replacement of natural blood in test animals, life has been sustained and no side effects have been observed.

Floral scents are used in many industries and demand for them increases every year. However, the shortage of extracted fragrance supplies from plants leads to high market costs of floral scents. Production of these fragrances from microorganisms is an alternative. In this work we applied the synthetic biology approach to construct a synthetic Escherichia coli system to produce linalool, which is the main component in floral scents. The E. coli system was synthesized in a laboratory by constructing 2 new BioBrick parts, GPPS and LIS Bricks. They were employed to construct GPPS and LIS generator devices by combing them with existing BioBricks from the Registry of BioBrick Standards; i.e., BBa_R0040, BBa_B0030, BBa_B0015. The synthetic E. coli system was created by transforming the generators into a non-scent E. coli YYC912 chassis. The system was tested by culturing synthetic cells in LB medium containing kanamycin and tetramycin. It was found that the synthetic E. coli successfully synthesized linalool and exhibited the strongest linalool scent at 96 hours of cultivation. This synthetic cell will be further used as a base strain for future construction of strains that can make higher linalool products for use on the industry level.

We are on the verge of producing “synthetic cells,” or protocells, in which some, many or all of the tasks of a real biological cell are harnessed into a synthetic platform. Such advances are made possible through genetic engineering, microfabrication technologies, and the development of cellular membranes from new surfactants that extend beyond phospholipids in stability and chemical control, and can be used to introduce designer functionality into membranes and cells. We review some of the recent advances in the development of synthetic cells and suggest future exciting directions.

Such phenomena as electrical polarization across the membrane, electrical discharges, current-voltage characteristics, negative resistance and some light characteristics are described for synthetic cells made of thermal proteinoids. The thermal proteinoid cell is considered as a structural and functional model of the excitable natural cell.

The “synthetic method” is the methodological approach that guides current scientific attempts of understanding natural processes by the construction of hardware, software, and/or wetware models from scracth. It focuses the scientific inquiry on the generative mechanisms of the target processes, with the goal of testing and improving scientific hypotheses about them. This article presents an application of the synthetic method based on cutting-edge technology: the construction of “synthetic cells” (also known as “artificial cells”) capable of exchanging chemical signals (and, in this sense, of 'communicating') with biological cells.

STANDARDISING BIOLOGY Synthetic Biology: Culture and Bioethical Considerations Introduction Perceptions and Portrayals of Synthetic Biology in Popular Culture and Politics Synthetic Biology in Academic Literature Societal Risks and Responsibilities Posed by Synthetic Biology Governance of Synthetic Biology Conclusions Acknowledgements References Synthetic Biology Standards and Methods of DNA Assembly Introduction Theory and Considerations in Double-Stranded DNA Assembly Assembly Methods in Detail Distributed Construct Assembly Methods Building Combinatorial Complexity during Assembly Emerging Technologies and Conclusions Standardisation of DNA Assembly References Standardised Genetic Output Measurement Introduction Standardisation in Conventional Biology Standardisation in Synthetic Biology Adapting Current Techniques as Synthetic Biology Standards Towards Synthetic Biology Standards for Protein Measurement Conclusions Acknowledgements References ENGINEERING BIOLOGY WITH LEGACY TOOLS Bacterial Cells as Engineered Chassis Introduction Designing and Refactoring Bacterial Genes Bacterial Synthetic Gene Networks Genome-Scale Re-Engineering of Bacterial Cells Engineering Periplasmic Space Re-Imagining the Bacterial Surface and Glycocalyx References Eukaryotae Synthetica: Synthetic Biology in Yeast, Microalgae, and Mammalian Cells Introduction Remodelling Outer Cell Membranes as Engineered Chassis Surfaces Programmable Organelles Eukaryotic Genes and Their Synthetic Counterparts Networks of Synthetic Genes in Mammalian Cells Genome-Scale Engineering in Eukaryotes Synthetic Biotherapeutics References Synthetic Plants Tools and Resources Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture Plant Chassis Engineering to Improve Nutritive Value Synthetic Biology and Green Biopharms Fibre and Fuel Future of Plant Synthetic Biology References CONSTRUCTING NEW BIOLOGIES Theory and Construction of Semi-Synthetic Minimal Cells Introduction Autopoiesis and Minimal Life Semi-Synthetic Approach to the Construction of Minimal Cells Entrapment of Solutes inside Liposomes Biotechnological Perspectives of Synthetic Cells Concluding Remarks Acknowledgements References Design Tools for Synthetic Biology Introduction Mathematical Modelling in Synthetic Biology Part Registries Device Languages Modelling Languages and Tools Network Optimisation Part Engineering DNA Editing Tools CAD Tools and Workflow Systems Summary References New Genetic Codes Introduction Available Orthogonal Pairs and Their Host Systems Using UAAs to Encode Post-Translational Modifications UAAs as Synthetic Biology Tools to Detect Interactions Occurring within Cells Photo-Activatable UAAs Bioorthogonal Chemistry Orthogonal Ribosomes Systemic Optimization of New Genetic Codes References

Recently, both the cellular and synthetic biology communities have expressed a strong interest in coacervates, membrane-less liquid droplets composed of densely packed multivalent molecules that form as a result of spontaneous phase separation. Here, it is studied how FtsZ, a protein that plays a key role in the bacterial division process, remodels coacervates made of polylysine (pLL) and guanosine triphosphate (GTP). It is shown that FtsZ strongly partitions at the surface of the coacervates and induces their disassembly due to the hydrolysis of GTP by FtsZ. Surprisingly, the coacervates are found to promote lateral interactions between FtsZ filaments, inducing the formation of an emanating network of FtsZ bundles that interconnect neighboring coacervates. Under mechanical stress, coacervates are shown to fracture, resulting in profound invaginations along their circumference. The results bring out the potential of coacervates for their use as membrane-free scaffolds for building synthetic cells as well as are possibly relevant for coacervation in prokaryotic cells.