Synthetic biology metabolomics

In this chapter we revise some of the tools and fundamentals of synthetic biology, such as the use of engineering principles, genome editing tools and metabolomics. In addition, we discuss the potential of synthetic biology for medical applications in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. 

Hill, C.B., Czauderna, T., Klapperstiick, M., Roessner, U., Schreiber, R, 2015. Metabolomics, standards and metabolic modeling for synthetic biology in plants. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 3, 1-12. 

In much the same way that metabolomics can be used to infer function of unknown genes, it is likely to be increasingly used in the determination of mode of action of biologically active substances, be they naturally occurring or synthetic. Early efforts in this regard have heavily focused upon the discovery of new herbicides with novel modes of action, this is considered a priority assignment in plant protection research, see Grossmann (2005) for an example. 

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a physical method for analysis introduced more than 100 years ago. During that period, MS applications have successfully proliferated in almost all areas of science and technology— from early studies of the structure of atoms and molecules culminating with the discovery of isotopes to characterization of planetary atmospheres and surfaces and search for extraterrestrial life. MS is an indispensable tool in organic chemistry and biochemistry for structural elucidation of various classes of natural products and synthetic compoimds. In the last quarter century, advances in MS methods and instrumentation have been at the forefront of efforts to map complex biological systems, including the human metabolome, proteome, and microbiome. 

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