title: Epigenetics knocks on synthetic biology's door.
abstract: Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression without concomitant changes in DNA sequence. Due to its relevance in development, differentiation and human health, epigenetics has recently become an emerging area of science with regard to eukaryotic organisms and has shown enormous potential in synthetic biology. However, significant examples of epigenetic regulation in bacterial synthetic biology have not yet been reported. In the current study, we present the first model of such an epigenetic circuit. We termed the circuit the alternator circuit because parental cells carrying this circuit and their progeny alternate between distinct and heritable cellular fates without undergoing changes in genome sequence. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the alternator circuit exhibits hysteresis because its output depends not only on its present state but also on its previous states.
authors: Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, UNAM. Av. Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos CP 62210, México.
authors: Zuemy
authors: Z
authors: Rodriguez-Escamilla
authors: Laboratorio de Ecogenómica. Unidad Académica de Ciencias y Tecnología de Yucatán. Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM. Sierra Papacal-Chuburna Km 5. Mérida, Yucatán CP 97302, México.
authors: Mario A
authors: MA
authors: Martínez-Núñez
authors: Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, UNAM. Av. Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos CP 62210, México merino@ibt.unam.mx.
authors: Enrique
authors: E
authors: Merino
mesh_terms: D017123:Bacteriophage T7 / Q000235:genetics; D019175:DNA Methylation; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D058615:Synthetic Biology
chemical_list: D012808:Sigma Factor; C081775:RNA polymerase sigma 70; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases
keywords: Excludon; Sigma 70; T7 RNA polymerase; epigenetic circuits; heritable cellular fates; hysteresis