Systems biology articles within Nature

Featured

• Letter | 14 February 2010

  Encoding multiple unnatural amino acids via evolution of a quadruplet-decoding ribosome

  Although new amino acids with desirable properties can be devised, only a few have been successfully introduced into proteins by the cellular machinery. Even then, only one type of unnatural amino acid can be added to a given protein. Here, a new system has been designed that could allow the incorporation of up to 200 novel amino acids. The system involves an orthogonal ribosome that uses quadruplet — rather than triplet — codons, as well as orthogonal tRNA synthetase–tRNA pairs.

  • Heinz Neumann
  • , Kaihang Wang
  •  & Jason W. Chin

• Career Brief | 03 February 2010

  Plug-and-play DNA

  Bioengineering lab is hiring 29 scientists and engineers to develop synthetic biology 'parts'.

• Review Article | 27 January 2010

  Cell mechanics and the cytoskeleton

  • Daniel A. Fletcher
  •  & R. Dyche Mullins

• Article | 21 January 2010

  A synchronized quorum of genetic clocks

  A defining focus of synthetic biology is the engineering of genetic circuits with predictive functionality in living cells. Here, a decade after the first synthesized genetic toggle switch and oscillator, an engineered gene network with global intercellular coupling is designed that is capable of generating synchronized oscillations in a growing population of cells.

  • Tal Danino
  • , Octavio Mondragón-Palomino
  •  & Jeff Hasty

• Editorial | 20 January 2010

  Ten years of synergy

  Contributions to and from basic science are the part of synthetic biology that most deserves celebration.