title: Build to understand: synthetic approaches to biology.
abstract: In this review we discuss how synthetic biology facilitates the task of investigating genetic circuits that are observed in naturally occurring biological systems. Specifically, we give examples where experimentation with synthetic gene circuits has been used to understand four fundamental mechanisms intrinsic to development and disease: multistability, stochastic gene expression, oscillations, and cell-cell communication. Within each area, we also discuss how mathematical modeling has been employed as an essential tool to guide the design of novel gene circuits and as a theoretical basis for exploring circuit topologies exhibiting robust behaviors in the presence of noise.
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.
authors.forename: Le-Zhi
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Fuqing
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.forename: Ying-Cheng
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics; D002450:Cell Communication; D003198:Computer Simulation; D025461:Feedback, Physiological; D015870:Gene Expression; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D006801:Humans; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009238:N-Acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine Amidase / Q000737:chemistry; D009991:Oscillometry; D013269:Stochastic Processes; D058615:Synthetic Biology / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D009238:N-Acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine Amidase