A group of researchers has successfully developed a flexible and simple method of artificially producing genetic switches for yeast, a model eukaryotic organism. Genetic switches are necessary in order to artificially generate new functions in an organism. The researchers established a platform for creating genetic switches that could be applied to the development of sophisticated, artificially controlled yeast cells to produce large quantities of valuable compounds.

Genetic switches are gene regulatory networks that control gene expression. The researchers established a platform for creating genetic switches that could be applied to the development of sophisticated, artificially controlled yeast cells to produce large quantities of valuable compounds. These research results were published in ‘Nature Communications’ on March 23, 2021.

*1 Technology Research Association of Highly Efficient Gene Design (TRAHED) researcher.

*2 Ibid. Vice Director of the Kobe Center.

*3 Ibid. Director of the Kobe Center.

Main Points

• Genetic switches are necessary in order to artificially generate new functions in an organism. These switches control the amount of proteins produced by a gene (i.e. gene expression (*1)) and the timing of this production.
• There has been a lag in the development of genetic switches for eukaryotic organisms in particular, as well as a significant limitation on the number of genes that can be controlled at the same time.
• The researchers developed a new selection platform in which the cutoff threshold can be set. This enabled them to succeed in creating highly functional, artificial genetic switches for yeast that can be produced easily and flexibly.
• The developed platform is expected to have a wide range of applications in situations that require precise control of expression levels and timing for a large number of genes. This includes optimizing the balance of metabolic enzyme expression in the construction of cells for producing useful substances that have complex intracellular metabolisms.

Research Background

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