Escherichia coli genome engineering and minimization forthe construction of a bioengine

Abstract

A profusion of diverse genome-related information has been obtained by the sequencing of genomes from many microorganisms, functional analyses of these genomes, and the application of bioinformatics techniques to genomics, proteomics, and systems biology. The resulting barrage of data coupled with large-scale gene inactivation studies have allowed researchers to produce a genetic blueprint for a streamline, custom-designed microbe that carries the minimal gene set required for the organism to replicate in a given environment. On the basis of this minimal genome information, several research groups have generated minimal-genome Escherichia coli strains using sophisticated genome engineering techniques, such as the dual transposition, site-specific recombinations, and markerless genome recombination. These minimal genomes display various desirable traits for biological researches, such as improved genome stability, increased transformation efficacy, and higher production of biological materials. Therefore, the generation of a large number of deletion mutants of the minimal E. coli genomes coupled with restructuring of regulatory circuits may lead to facilitate the construction of a variety of custom-designed bacterial strains (also called a bioengine) with myriad practical and commercial applications. © 2009 Springer Netherlands.