title: The good of two worlds: increasing complexity in cell-free systems.
abstract: In vitro biocatalytic systems have moved far beyond established uses in food, diagnostic, and chemical applications. As new strategies to construct and manage multiple enzymes in ever more complex systems are developed, novel applications emerge. In the field of chemistry, complex protein networks are applied to enable the production of fine chemicals, such as dihydroxyacetone phosphate, and even bulk chemicals, such as biofuels, from cheap sugars. Cell-free protein synthesis is applied to expanding protein and nucleic acid biochemistry and enabling novel assay formats, while programmable DNA-circuits can be exploited to engineer sensitive detection methods. Novel developments in chemical analytics such as real-time mass spectrometry to follow the metabolism online, directed physical assembly of network members facilitating substrate channeling, and encapsulation forming biofunctional subunits enable a better control and potential for optimization.
authors.affiliation: Department for Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Billerbeck
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Härle
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Panke
mesh_terms: D055162:Biocatalysis; D057005:Bioengineering / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D002474:Cell-Free System