The synthetic biology toolbox for tuning gene expression in yeast

Abstract

Saccharomyces cerevisiae can serve as a key production platform for biofuels, nutraceuticals, industrial compounds, and therapeutic proteins. Over the recent years, synthetic biology tools and libraries have expanded in yeast to provide newfound control over regulation and synthetic circuits. This review provides an update on the status of the synthetic biology toolbox in yeast for use as a cell factory. Specifically, we discuss the impact of plasmid selection and composition, promoter, terminator, transcription factor, and aptamer selection. In doing so, we highlight documented interactions between these components, current states of development, and applications that demonstrate the utility of these parts with a particular focus on synthetic gene expression control.