Beyond natural evolution: multi-scale in vivo mutagenesis toolkits for synthetic evolution

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Synthetic Biology
• Molecular Evolution

Background:

• Industrial, agricultural, and medical practices rely on natural biodiversity.
• Biomolecules and organisms often require optimization for specific applications.
• Synthetic evolution offers a powerful approach to enhance desirable traits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the latest mutagenesis toolkits for synthetic evolution.
• To classify these toolkits by mutational scale: genome-wide, medium-scale, and site-specific.
• To discuss limitations and future potential in advancing synthetic evolution.

Main Methods:

• Leveraging technologies such as DNA synthesis and CRISPR-Cas engineering.
• Enabling continuous in vivo mutagenesis for biomolecules and organisms.
• Classifying mutagenesis toolkits based on mutational scale.

Main Results:

• Presentation of diverse mutagenesis toolkits tailored for various applications.
• Analysis of mechanisms, capabilities, and limitations of different mutational scales.
• Identification of untapped potential in gene editing, high-throughput screening, and AI.

Conclusions:

• Synthetic evolution is key to optimizing biomolecules and organisms.
• Next-generation technologies will significantly advance synthetic evolution capabilities.
• Future research should focus on integrating AI and high-throughput screening for enhanced biological engineering.