Synthetic biology: From the first synthetic cell to see its current situation and future development

Zhang, LiuYan; Chang, SuHua; Wang, Jing

(i) Standardization of bio-parts and the design and construction of biological modules. A bio-part, or BioBrick, usually refers to a short segment of DNA which acts as a promoter, terminator, protein coding sequence, or any other functional element. Standardization of bio-parts is a process to characterize and specify the bio-parts, including a detailed description and quality control testing by following certain standards. The highly characterized bio-parts make the design and construction of biological modules (devices, systems) much easier. The interaction of various elements in biological system is similar to that in electronic system. Based on these similarities, genetic circuits were designed and constructed ( Figure 3 ). The design and construction of biological modules not only include the de novo design and construction of new biological modules, but also the re-design of the existing natural biological systems.