Lessons on Synthetic Bioarchitectures by Eva-Kathrin Ehmoser-Sinner & Cherng-Wen Darren Tan

Author:Eva-Kathrin Ehmoser-Sinner & Cherng-Wen Darren Tan
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783319731230
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

4.2 The Minimal Cell Revisited

As explained in ► Chap. 2, synthetic biology employs two basic approaches in its work: the top-down approach and the bottom-up approach. Where these two techniques meet, at their extremes, is the minimal cell. The concept of the minimal cell posits that all cells are advanced variations of a much simpler cell.

An analogy would be a car that consists of just a frame, an engine, axles, and wheels. With this simple chassis, you can then modify it to make a luxury car, an ambulance, or even something novel. The idea of the minimal cell is similar. This method of stripping down to the minimum is the top-down approach.

Unlike the top-down approach, the bottom-up approach attempts to put together diverse building materials to construct complex structures. In the process of trying to recreate parts of (or whole) cells, we will hopefully learn how each part evolved and how each improvement solves a problem (◘ Fig. 4.3). By observing what exists in nature, we hope to find solutions to engineering problems.

Fig. 4.3Studying, reverse engineering and mimicking various structures and processes in living systems can teach us how to develop solutions to complex biological problems. The figure quotes from Richard P. Feynman

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