In this recent work in PNAS, Walter Bonacci et al achieved the self-assembly of carboxysomes, the proteinaceous microcompartments in which cyanobacteria carry out carbon fixation, in E. coli. This 10-gene pathway assembles a microcompartment with an icosahedral shell composed of thousands of individual polypeptide subunits.

Optimization of photosynthetic antennas for light capture in photobioreactors is a topic of active interest in the Pakrasi lab (See "Phycobilisome antenna truncation reduces photoautotrophic productvity in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, a cyanobacterium", accepted by Applied and Environmental Microbiology). Recently, a group at the University of Padova in Italy found that while high, continuous light intensities inhibited the growth of Nannochloropsis (a green alga), these algae could grow quite well in intense, flashing light. The key was to expose the cells to the correct time-averaged light intensity. To achieve this flashing light effect, illumination flashes had to be on the order of 10 ms, but could have intensity as much as 10X the optimal continuous intensity.

This timely review by Boyle and Silver discusses Synthetic biology components (the parts) that Metabolic Engineers can use to construct biological "pipes" (conversion of substrates to desired products). The optimal integration of “parts and pipes” could improve product yields and expand the array of products available. This review presents emerging engineering principles relative to next-generation metabolic engineering challenges .