Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstraße 23A, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Scojen Institute for Synthetic Biology, Reichman University, Hauniversita 8, Herzeliya, Israel.
Biotechnol Adv. 2024 Oct;75:108414. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108414. Epub 2024 Jul 15.
In their natural habitats, organisms encounter numerous external stimuli and must be able to sense and adapt to those stimuli to survive. Unlike mutations, epigenetic changes do not alter the underlying DNA sequence. Instead, they create modifications that promote or silence gene expression. Bacillus subtilis has long been a model organism in studying genetics and development. It is beneficial for numerous biotechnological applications where it is included as a probiotic, in fermentation, or in bio-concrete design. This bacterium has also emerged recently as a model organism for studying bacterial epigenetic adaptation. In this review, we examine the evolving knowledge of epigenetic regulation (restriction-modification systems (RM), orphan methyltransferases, and chromosome condensation) in B. subtilis and related bacteria, and utilize it as a case study to test their potential roles and future applications in genetic engineering and microbial biotechnology. Finally, we suggest how the implementation of these fundamental findings promotes the design of synthetic epigenetic memory circuits and their future applications in agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology.
在其自然栖息地中，生物体会遇到许多外部刺激，必须能够感知和适应这些刺激才能生存。与突变不同，表观遗传变化不会改变潜在的 DNA 序列。相反，它们会产生促进或沉默基因表达的修饰。枯草芽孢杆菌长期以来一直是研究遗传学和发育的模式生物。它在许多生物技术应用中很有用，包括作为益生菌、发酵或生物混凝土设计。这种细菌最近也成为研究细菌表观遗传适应的模式生物。在这篇综述中，我们研究了在枯草芽孢杆菌和相关细菌中表观遗传调控（限制修饰系统（RM）、孤儿甲基转移酶和染色体浓缩）的不断发展的知识，并将其用作案例研究来测试它们在基因工程和微生物生物技术中的潜在作用和未来应用。最后，我们提出了如何实施这些基础发现来促进合成表观遗传记忆电路的设计及其在农业、医学和生物技术中的未来应用。
