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The Wide Applications of Molecular Biology

Molecular biology clarifies regularities of cell and receals the essence of life.Molecular biology technologies have been widely adapted for recombinant protein production, genetic modification of organisms, gene therapy, environmental protection, etc.

Production of recombinant proteins

  • Recombinant Insulin production

    • For very long time, the insulin that was used to treat diabetic patients is solely purified from bovine or porcine pancreas. 100kg pancreas can only extract 4-5g of insulin. The development in the field of genetic engineering introduced chemically synthesized insulin cDNA in E.coli and allowed insulin production in microorganisms, yielding 100g insulin from every 2000L microorganism’s culture. The massive industrial scale production of insulin not only solves the yield problem but also drives its price down by 30% -50%.

  • Genetic engineering drugs

    • Genetic engineering is used to mass-produce interferon, artificial blood, interleukin, hepatitis B vaccine and many other drugs which played a huge role of lifting the human suffering, improving human health.Genetic engineering drugs has greatly been embraced by man to improve on his well-being.

  • Genetically modified animal

    • For certain protein drugs that require complex modifications or are needed in large supply, production in transgenic animals seems most efficient. The current strategy to achieve these objectives is to couple the DNA for the protein drug with a DNA signal directing production in the mammary gland.

  • Herbicide resistant crops

    • Herbicide resistant crops are genetically modified to tolerate broad-spectrum herbicides, which kill the surrounding flora, but leave the cultivated crop intact.

  • Genetically modified microorganism

    • Microorganisms are most commonly used in genetic engineering due to their inexpensive nature. Cheese production requires the use of a protein called chymosin which is a proteolitic enzyme usually obtained from calf stomachs. Production of chymosin in genetically engineered microorganism provides an alternative way of producing cheese that does not require the sacrifice of large amount of animals. Moreover, microorganism production of recombinant chymosin offers an easy way of increasing the production of chymosin compared to the amount that can be obtained from young calves.

  • Gene therapy

    • Gene therapy is a technique to treat genetic diseases by introducing foreign DNA which usually contains a functioning gene to correct the effects of a disease-causing mutation.

  • Environmental protection

    • The genetically engineered organisms can be used as bioindicators to readily reflecting pollution level on a habitat, community, or ecosystem. Moreover, these bioindicators are engineered to resist pollutant-leaded mortality and potentially has the capability in bioremediation of toxic chemicals.

Applications of Molecular Biology Techniques in Environmental Microbiology Research

Advances in molecular biology and genetic engineering technology, microbial genetic manipulations have promoted the application of microorganisms in in ecological and environmental research. Genetically engineered microorganisms are being developed and assessed for their beneficial uses in environmental monitoring, toxic chemicals pollution control and genetically engineered microorganisms.

Hybridization Probe

The oligonucleotide probes can hybridize to DNA or RNA whose base sequence allows probe–target base pairing due to complementarity between the probe and target to analyze the presence of nucleotide sequences (the DNA target) that are complementary to the sequence in the probe.

Due to the stringent specificity and high sensitivity of nucleic acid hybridization, hybridization probes are used on a broad level in microbial ecology, such as microbial detection, qualitative and quantitative analysis of microbial, distribution, abundance and adaptability of microbial.

PCR Based Technologies

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique used in molecular biology to amplify DNA template, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence in vitro. This technique can be used to analyze mRNA expression profile among different growth stages.

Electrophoresis

The interaction between DNA double helix are disrupted during denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE)， temperature gradient gel electrophoresis(TGGE) and other special forms of electrophoresis, thus the DNA fragments consist of different sequences can be separated on acrylamide gel with superior resolution.

Genetic Engineering

New recombinant DNA may be generated by first isolation and amplification the genetic material of interest using molecular cloning methods, then the chimera DNA sequence or artificially synthesized DNA maybe inserted into the host organism. This technique is essential for the construction of microbes with enhanced biodegradability that may be used in controlling remediation of contaminated environment or fermentation of waste to produce natural gas.

Application of molecular biology technology not only expanded the horizon but also increased the depth of microbial ecology research. The increasing amount of microbe’s genomic data provides new opportunities for understanding the genetic and molecular bases of the degradation genes in various bacteria. The in-depth knowledge of microbes’ genome will make the research more objective and more controllable.

The Multiple Application of CRISPR-Cas9

CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology can target virtually any genomic location of choice by utilizing a short RNA guide, then cut the sequence with the Cas9 protein. Compared with traditional gene editing technologies, the CRISPR-Cas9 system is both faster and more efficient. The CRISPR-Cas9 system currently has a wide variety of applications in gene engineering and bio-medicine, such as gene editing in model organisms and cell cultures to further investigate the relationship between genetic variation and biological function. Other examples of CRISPR-Cas9 utilization include cultivation of new, robust seeds that are more resistant to extreme environments, or transgenically modified corn to enable the production of low-cost fuels.

  1. Genetic and epigenetic control of cells through genome engineering technologies is enabling a broad range of applications, from basic biology to biotechnology and medicine.
  2. Causal genetic mutations or epogenetic variants associated with altered biological function or disease phenotypes can now be rapidly and efficiently recapitulated in animal or cellular models.
  3. Manipulating biological circuits could also facilitate the generation of useful synthetic materials, such as algae-derived, silica-base diatoms for important agricultural crops to confer resistance to environmental deprivation or pathogenic infection, improving food security while avoiding the introduction of foreign DNA.
  4. Sustainable and cost-effective biofuels are attractive sources for renewable energy, which could be achieved by creating efficient metabolic pathways for ethanol production in algae or corn.
  5. Direct in vivo correction of genetic or epigenetic aberrant variation in somatic tissue could be a permanent genetic solution to genetically encoded disorders.
  6. Finally, engineering cells to optimize high yield generation of drug precursors in bacterial factories could significantly reduce the cost and accessibility of useful therapeutics. In addition to precise gene, the CRISPR-Cas9 system has many other potential applications, such as genome screening, endogenetic gene transcription, and genomic loci imaging.

The History of CRISPR-Cas9

The CRISPR (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) system was first identified in archaea as an adaptive defensive mechanism that confers resistance to foreign genetic elements. Later on, the CRISPR-Cas system was engineered into a versatile gene-editing tool enabling manipulation of protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) downstream DNA. Now, CRISPR-Cas9 has facilitated robust genome editing in virtually any organism including: human cells, rat, mice, zebra fish, bacteria, fruit flies, yeast, nematode and etc.

In 1987, Japanese scientists discovered a set of 29nt repeats interspaced by five intervening 32nt non-repetitive sequences in the Escherichia coli genome. The body of interspaced repeat sequences from different bacterial and archaeal strains is quickly expanding, and the nomenclature of microbial genomic loci consisting of an interspaced repeat array was unified as CRISPR (Clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeats) in 2002. Over the next few years, CRISPR-Cas9 technology has been rapidly and widely adopted by the scientific community to target, edit, and modify the genomes of a vast array of cells and organisms while elucidating and refining the mechanism of CRISPR-Cas9–mediated genome editing. CRISPR-Cas9 has been harnessed for applications in screening for drug targets, human gene therapy, and pathogen gene disruption.

crispr-cas9-history
The CRISPR-Cas9 System
CRISPR is a ubiquitous family of clustered repetitive DNA elements present in 90% of Archaea and 40% of sequenced Bacteria. The 300-500bp leader located upstream of CRISPR loci is a conserved, AT-rich sequence, and is considered a promoter of CRISPR array. CRISPR array consists of repetitive sequences (repeats) interspersed with several variable sequences (spacers). Repeats are typically 21–48 nucleotides in length with the potential to form hairpin structures. The variable spacer sequences in CRISPR array are derived from previous invading mobile genetic elements (MGEs), e.g. bacteriophages and plasmids. Prokaryotes with CRISPR-Cas immune systems capture short invader sequences within the CRISPR loci in their genomes, and small RNAs produced from the CRISPR loci (crRNAs) guide Cas proteins to recognize and degrade (or otherwise silence) the invading nucleic acids. Complete genome sequencing studies showed the presence of common sequences flanking the multiple CRISPR loci in multiple prokaryotic species. Comparison of the genes that flank the CRISPR loci in the genomes of different species showed a clear homology among those genes, which was later designated as CRISPR-associated genes, Cas. Cas genes encode proteins with a variety of nucleic acid-manipulating activities such as nucleases, helicases and polymerases, and are often located adjacent to the CRISPR region.

What Are the Advantages of CRISPR-Cas9?

The CRISPR-Cas9 system is perhaps the most remarkable recent breakthrough in genome editing technology. CRISPR is a ubiquitous family of clustered repetitive DNA elements present in 90% of Archaea and 40% of sequenced Bacteria. CRISPR arrays consist of interspersed identical REPEAT sequences (21-48bp) and several unique invader-targeting SPACER sequences (26-72bp). The CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system consists of two components: a “guide” RNA (gRNA) and a non-specific CRISPR-associated endonuclease (Cas9). The Cas9 protein is an endonuclease that uses gRNA to form base pairs with DNA target sequences, enabling Cas9 to introduce a site-specific double-stranded break in the DNA. Through RNA-directed Cas9 nucleases, the CRISPR-Cas9 system can modify DNA with greater precision than existing technologies like TALEN and ZFN.

An advantage the CRISPR-Cas9 system offers over other mutagenic techniques like ZFN and TALEN is the relative simplicity of its plasmid design and construction. For each target site, the specificity of CRISPR-Cas9 relies on the formation of a ribonucleotide complex of sgRNA and the target DNA as opposed to protein/DNA recognition. CRISPR-Cas9 is easily programmable by changing the guide sequence (20 nucleotides in the native RNA) of the sgRNA to any DNA sequence of interest. Additionally, CRISPR is capable of modifying chromosomal targets with high fidelity whereas ZFN/TALEN are prone to CpG methylation. Last but not least, multiplexed genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9 can be easily achieved with the monomeric Cas9 protein and any number of different sequence-specific gRNAs. The simplicity of CRISPR-Cas9 programming and its capacity for multiplexed target recognition have fueled the popularity of this cost-effective and easy-to-use technology.

Synbio Technologies’ DNA Synthesis Service

DNA synthesis is a method in synthetic biology for the creation of deoxyribonucleic acid biopolymers in a sequence-specific manner. DNA synthesis can be further classified into oligonucleotide synthesis and gene synthesis. Currently, oligonucleotides are manufactured almost exclusively using automated solid-phase methods.In this way, we can apply efficient and accurate DNA synthesis services. Oligonucleotide synthesis produces short, single-stranded nucleic acid polymers usually made up of 18 to 25 nucleotides, which are usually used as probes for detecting specific DNA/RNA sequences by recognizing and binding to a complementary segment of DNA/RNA. Oligonucleotides are widely used as DNA/RNA structure probes, DNA microarray probes, and gel electrophoresis references, and are usually single strand fragments limited to 100 nucleotides. On the other hand, gene synthesis is able to create double-stranded DNA ranging from 50 bp to 12,000 bp in length. Solid-phase based gene synthesis opens up new avenues for completely synthetic double-stranded DNA molecule with no apparent limits on either nucleotide sequence or size.

Synbio Tech DNA Synthesis Service

Taking advantage of industrial-leading processing technology, Synbio Technologies’ Syno®1.0 platform provides a full selection of conventional primers, ultra-high purity primers, degenerate primers, aptamers, and fluorescent probes for world-class scientific research and some industrial customers.Synbio Technologies can also manufacture large scale primer synthesis using multi-well plates to deliver up to 10,000 primers for customized orders.

Our Syno®2.0 DNA synthesis platform is the most versatile platform empowered by patented Syno®DNA Assembly technologies. Syno®2.0 platform can cope with any type of gene and genome ranging from 100 base pairs to 1 million base pairs that contain all types of complex sequences. Standard complexity order can be completed within 5 business days with 100% sequence fidelity. NGTMsoftware is developed at Synbio Technologies to boost the expression of synthetic genes in all commonly used expression systems.

Next Generation DNA Synthesis Company

As a leading DNA synthesis company, Synbio Technologies offers a comprehensive package of synthetic genomics services, from simple oligonucleotides and DNA fragments to large and complex genome clusters. Our cutting edge Syno® 3.0 high-throughput platform is the world’s most advanced next-generation DNA synthesis platform, able to provide affordable synthetic DNA at unprecedented scale.

At Synbio Technologies, our DNA synthesis capacity is empowered by several patented technologies. Industry-Leading NGTM Codon can help customers redesign and enhance the efficiency of the genes to achieve superior gene expression. Syno® Assembly is truly one-of-a-kind technology, working in tandem with our Syno® 2.0 platform to ensure the delivery of affordable, error-free sequences.

In addition, Synbio Technologies is building up its first integrated Syno GPS (Genotype, Phenotype and Synotype) system, aiming to streamline translation or reverse translation between “Genotype” and “Phenotype” through our proprietary “Synotype” platform. Our company’s scientific capabilities encompass areas such as molecular biology and bio-pharmaceutical research, precision medicine, biotechnology, molecular breeding, and biofuel production.

Synbio Technologies, a DNA synthesis company devote to next generation DNA synthesis, provides a variety of synthetic genomic options to advance your research, including primer synthesis, gene synthesis, metabolic pathway synthesis, gene cluster synthesis, CRISPR-Cas9 service, Sanger sequencing, and NGS services.

DNA Synthesis Application

With the growth of DNA synthesis techniques, especially the focus on automation and automatic technologies, we can more easily, rapidly, and efficiently synthesize DNA fragments. The applications of synthetic DNA encompass a broad spectrum ranging from genetic circuits and metabolic pathways to synthetic genomes. DNA synthesis is an essential technique in molecular biology and plays a vital role in various disciplines, such as genetic engineering, and clinical diagnosis/treatment.

DNA Synthesis in Molecular Biology

According to the clarified nucleotide sequence and amino acid sequence, we can synthesis the polypeptide and protein gene which can be applied in actual production and research. So far, various genes have been synthetic and expressed successfully in eukaryotic system, such as human growth hormone, interferon, insulin, interleukin etc.

DNA Synthesis Applications in Medicine

As our technology has become more powerful, our understanding of many diseases has become more sophisticated, from the organ and tissue level to the molecular and genetic level. As a result, new discoveries have allowed us to tackle genetic diseases in ways that we could not previously. For example, fluorescent probes can detect potentially harmful deletions in certain genes, proving to be a valuable tool for clinical diagnosis.

DNA Synthesis Application in Synthetic Biology

A valuable domain of synthetic biology is metabolic engineering. By engineering parallel metabolic systems that interface with natural cellular metabolic machinery, researchers can program cells for practical applications including the synthesis of cost effective chemicals or drugs. In one demonstration by Keasling and colleagues, the construction of a biosynthetic artemisinin pathway in yeast enabled the microbial production of this antimalarial compound at one-tenth of the cost of conventional production method of harvesting from the rare Artemisia annua plant.

Synbio Technologies concentrates primarily on DNA synthesis technologies. We have established our proprietary Syno® gene synthetic platform which can provide a variety of services including oligonucleotide synthesis, fluorescent probe labeling, and synthesize gene/genome, pathway and DNA library. We can also provide materials and supplies for clients in various disciplines, such as biological medicine, molecular diagnosis, industrial enzyme, bio-fuel, modern agriculture, environmental protection and surveillance and DNA storage.

Synthetic Biology Services

Synbio Technologies is devoted to synthetic biology and the development of related products. Synthetic biology facilitates tasks like editing an existing gene/genome or redesigning a novel metabolism pathway, to suit any and all consumer needs. Our synthetic biology services cover a broad range of DNA technologies, including reading, writing, and editing of DNA. Synthetic biology can simply synthesis DNA sequence without DNA template with fast turnaround. Our proprietary Syno®platforms can quickly provide professional and custom synthetic biology services in biology, medicine, agriculture, bio-fuel and environment industries. Our experienced team of engineers are also available for on-demand customer assistance via email or phone, and will help you with any problems or concerns you may have.

Synthetic Biology Services include:

  • de novo DNA synthesis

    • e.g. Syno®2.0 gene synthesis , Syno®3.0 next generation DNA synthesis. Our Syno®platforms guarantee high-throughput, low price, and 100% accurate gene synthesis services.

  • Library design provide efficient gene screening services.
  • DNA editing

    • e.g. CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing platform and CRISPR-Cas9 sgRNA synthesis services.

  • DNA sequencing and gene analysis
  • Molecular biology services

    • e.g. plasmid DNA preparation, PCR cloning & subcloning, and site-directed mutagenesis

  • Recombinant protein expression and purification
  • Antibody discovery

For more details on the synthetic biology services we provide, please contact us through our customer information system, through email, or by calling us. More information on our synthetic biology services can be found on our website.

Synthetic Biology Definition

Synthetic biology refers to the design and construction of novel biological components, systems, and technologies through logic and existing biological knowledge. Synthetic biology is a relatively new discipline, emerging during the 20th century. Since then, many breakthroughs have been achieved in research on the synthesis of biological materials, especially in recent years. Compared to traditional biology, which focuses on the internal, structural, and functional investigation of organisms via dissection or other traditional biology, synthetic biology instead focuses on constructing biological technologies from basic elements. Synthetic biology also differs from genetic engineering, which focuses on extension and modification of an organism’s genetic material and its transfer to another organism. Some main concepts in synthetic biology are as follows:

  1. Synthetic biology touches upon synthesis and modularization of various molecules as well as sub-cellular module construction by utilizing biological synthesis genetic networks and metabolism and signaling pathways.
  2. Develop platforms that optimize biological and non-biological carriers to raise the efficiency of engineering systems, reduce maintenance level and cost, and provide robustness and environmental compatibility.
  3. Regulate communication systems including feedback and feed-forward mechanisms of biological gadgets, as well as modularization of their behavior and means of communication.
  4. Conduct simulations and algorithm forecasts, and build relevant software systems for various functional modules. In particular, computer-aided technology is an effective tool to reduce experimental costs and complexity.

Synthetic biology which is a relatively new technology, starts from the basic elements of building components step by step form external instead of studying its internal structure. Synbio Technologies has developed propriety Syno®3.0 DNA synthesis platform which can significantly improve the throughput and reduce the cost of gene synthesis. You can count on Syno®platforms that are the highest quality standard in the market regarding to gene synthesis, genome synthesis, pathway synthesis and comprehensive synthetic biology applications.

Synthetic Biology Application

Synthetic biology is a promising new discipline with many potential applications for cell biology, microbiology, biochemistry, and many other related fields. There are four main aspects of synthetic biology: studying cellular networks, redesigning genetic pathways for gene-to-protein expression, acquiring novel green material and fueling substance, and providing a simple environment without interference for inserting function modules.

Synthetic biology has a great deal of potential in designing more effective vaccines and drugs, enhancing drug efficacy, utilizing renewable energy sources to produce sustainable energy, curbing environmental pollution via biological means, and building sensors that are able to detect poisonous chemical substances. Synthetic biology has a lot of potential to revolutionize information storage by using synthetic DNA to encode large quantities of data.

In addition to its role in medicine, synthetic biology also helps the development of biological fuel and agriculture technology. Synthetic biology combines biology with engineering concepts, redesigning existing biological systems and adding new biological modules and machines to it, creating artificial life systems not found in nature.

As various technologies for synthetic biology continue to mature and develop, the applications of synthetic biology will expand to even broader fields, playing a crucial role in solving various problems related to energy, environment, medicine, and drug design for mankind.

Artificial Gene Synthesis and Traditional Molecular Cloning

Synbio Technologies is a professional company dealing with gene synthesis and cloning. The company can provide artificial gene synthesis and traditional molecular services through our Syno®1.0, Syno®2.0 and Syno®3.0 gene synthesis platforms. Our Syno® platforms can conduct a variety of functions, including construction of a humanized antibody library, optimization of industrial enzymes, chromosomes/genome synthesis, development of genetic engineering vaccines and DNA information storage technology.

What is traditional molecular cloning?
Prior to the 1970s, molecular cloning had served as the foundation of technical expertise in labs worldwide for 30 years. Molecular cloning is a set of experimental methods that are used to assemble recombined DNA molecules and to direct their replication within host organisms.

Why gene synthesis?
Gene synthesis can artificially synthesize double-stranded DNA in vitro, with an assembly capacity of 50bp to 12Kb products. Gene synthesis differs from traditional molecular cloning and PCR cloning in several ways. The traditional molecular cloning is a set of experimental methods in molecular biology that are used to assemble recombined DNA molecules and to direct their replication within host organisms. However, not every gene has high-efficiency expression in these systems, meaning that molecular cloning may not be the best option for these genes. Instead, through gene synthesis, it is possible to avoid this problem by creating a new system with high-efficiency expression of the target gene.

The advantages of artificial gene synthesis:
(1)Saves time and labor
(2)Guarantees 100% sequencing accuracy
(3)Changes all target codons simultaneously, so it only needs to be done once
(4)It is possible to create new base pairings which could greatly expand the possibility of biological form.

The unique advantages of Synbio Technologies’ gene synthesis and cloning:
(1) Syno® 2.0 gene synthesis platform: The proprietary gene synthetic platform can synthesis any gene perfectly. At present, Synbio Technologies can synthesize over 10 million base pairs per month.
(2) NGTM Codon Optimization Technology: Codon optimization can increase protein expression and promote proper protein folding.
(3) High Quality: Effectively deliver high-quality complex sequences including those with repetitive sequences, strong hairpin structures, high GC content, poly structure, etc.
(4) Fast Turnaround: A normal sequence order can be completed within 5 business days with 100% accuracy.
(5) Cost-effective: Starting from 1 cent/nt by Syno® 3.0 high throughput DNA synthesis platform.
(6) Capability: Synbio Technologies can synthesize single 200 kB DNA fragments with high fidelity.

Gene Synthesis Related Services

Synbio Tenchologies can also design sequencing with codon optimization software -NGTMCodon Optimization Technology at no cost.