Genesis of Artificial Strains Based on Microbial Genomics

Creating an artificial strain with a minimal gene set for a specific purpose is every biologist's dream. With the complete genome sequencing of more than 50 microorganisms and extensive functional analyses of their genes, it is possible to design a genetic blueprint for a simple custom-designed microbe with the minimal gene set. Two different approaches are being considered. The first 'top-down' approach is trimming the genome to a minimal gene set by selectively removing genes of an organism thought to be unnecessary based on microbial genomics. The second 'bottom-up' approach is to synthesize the proposed minimal genome from basic chemical building blocks. The 'top-down' approach starting with the genome of a well known microorganism is more technically feasible, whereas the bottom-up approach may not be attainable in the nearest future because of the lack of the complete functional analysis of the genes needed for a life. Here in this study, we used the top-down approach to minimize the E. coli genome to create an artificial organism with 'core' elements for self-sustaining and self-replicating cells by eliminating unnecessary genes. Using several different kinds of sophisticated deletion techniques combined with a p:1age and transposons, we deleted about 19％ of the E. coli genome without causing any damages to cellular growth. This smaller E. coli genome will be further reduced to a genome with a minimal gene l;et essential for cell life. This minimized E. coli genome can lead to the construction of many custom-designed strains with myriad practical and commercial applications.