title: Modularity, context-dependence, and insulation in engineered biological circuits.
abstract: The ability to link systems together such that they behave as predicted once they interact with each other is an essential requirement for the forward-engineering of robust synthetic biological circuits. Unfortunately, because of context-dependencies, parts and functional modules often behave unpredictably once interacting in the cellular environment. This paper reviews recent advances toward establishing a rigorous engineering framework for insulating parts and modules from their context to improve modularity. Overall, a synergy between engineering better parts and higher-level circuit design will be important to resolve the problem of context-dependence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA. Electronic address: ddv@mit.edu.
authors.forename: Domitilla
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Del Vecchio
mesh_terms: D002451:Cell Compartmentation / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D060847:Metabolic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D058615:Synthetic Biology