Reconstructive Approach to Genetic Circuits

SYSTEMS BIOLOGY: ON RECONSTRUCTION OF GENETIC CIRCUITS: "A reconstructive approach to genetic circuits may offer unique insight into their underlying mechanisms. In this approach, one constructs synthetic replicas of natural genetic circuits out of well-characterized elements, such as genes, proteins, regulatory sequences, and so on, and observes their dynamics in living cells. This scheme offers several advantages. First, one can test the sufficiency of an arbitrary circuit for generating a particular function. Second, one may study the circuit mechanism without impairing cellular functions or inducing downstream consequences. Third, different circuit designs with similar functions can be directly compared to determine their relative advantages and disadvantages. "