Volume 12 Issue 5, May 2014

Three new studies now reveal the crystal structure of the Marburg virus protein VP24 and provide insights into its role in pathogenesis.

Ebola virus disease is spreading in West African countries.

The first complete structure of a bacterial T4SS, which shows that this apparatus has a unique architecture and mechanism of action.

This study shows associations between gut microbiota and Crohn's disease pathogenesis in the largest patient cohort studied so far.

EngineeringEscherichia coliwith a genetic memory circuit that can sense and report on antibiotic exposure in the mammalian gut.

This study shows that many of the off-target effects that are observed in siRNA screens are specific and depend on the siRNA seed sequence.

Quinnet al. examine the core metabolic functions within the polymicrobial communities that are present in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis.

Sequencing of whole rabies virus genomes is revealing novel genetic variants that influence virulence and transmission.

Although the CRISPR–Cas system of prokaryotes has an established role in defence, recent studies suggest that this system has other functional roles. Here, Westra and colleagues explore the more unconventional roles of CRISPR–Cas, such as endogenous gene regulation and genome remodelling, and consider their evolutionary implications.

In this Review, Sauer and colleagues outline how microorganisms coordinate common metabolic tasks. By illustrating the information transfer and flux adaptation for key regulatory circuits inEscherichia coli, Bacillus subtilisand yeast, they conclude that cells rely on a few conserved metabolites to report on their global metabolic status and mount appropriate responses.

Non-coding RNA devices, such as CRISPR–Cas systems, riboswitches and RNA scaffolds, have emerged as a versatile class of genetic regulatory elements that are used in a broad range of synthetic biology applications. In this Review, Arkin and Qi discuss the design, engineering and application of synthetic non-coding RNA devices for microbial engineering.

Entry of the antimalarial drug precursor semi-synthetic artemisinin into industrial production is the first major milestone for the application of synthetic biology. In this Review, Paddon and Keasling discuss the metabolic engineering and synthetic biology approaches that were used to engineerEscherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiaeto synthesize a precursor of artemisinin, which should aid the development of other pharmaceutical products.

Much of synthetic biology research makes use of model organisms, such asEscherichia coli. Here, Víctor de Lorenzo and colleagues emphasize the need for a wider choice of model organisms and advocate the use of environmental Pseudomonasstrains as model organisms that possess the necessary metabolic traits required to meet current and future synthetic biology and biotechnological needs.

In this Timeline article, Collins and colleagues chart the history of synthetic biology since its inception just over a decade ago, with a focus on both the cultural and scientific progress that has been made as well as on key breakthroughs and areas for future development.

Since its inception almost 15 years ago, synthetic biology has evolved into a vibrant and productive field, owing in large part to the use of model microorganisms for the design, creation and implementation of both simple and more sophisticated biological systems. This Focus issue of Nature Reviews Microbiologypresents a set of specially commissioned articles that together chart the technological and cultural developments of the field, provide a framework for the use of emerging synthetic devices for microbial engineering, discuss the use of alternative microorganisms for industrial-scale applications and describe the first successful 'real-world' application that has been achieved. The Focus issue is accompanied by a joint Web Special withNature MethodsandNature.