Programming biology: Expanding the toolset for the engineering of transcription

Abstract

Transcription is a complex and dynamic process representing the first step in gene expression that can be readily controlled through current tools in molecular biology. Elucidating and subsequently controlling transcriptional processes in various prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms have been a key element in translational research, yielding a variety of new opportunities for scientists and engineers. This chapter aims to give an overview of how the fields of molecular and synthetic biology have contributed both historically and presently to the state of the art in transcriptional engineering. The described tools and techniques, as well as the emerging genetic circuit engineering discipline, open the door to new advances in the fields of medical and industrial biotechnology.