Engineering Microbial Evolution for Biotechnological Applications

Spontaneous mutations in replicating genomes enable permutations, allowing organisms to evolve genotypes favorable for survival. This defining biological trait has long been exploited by microbes to explore evolutionary dynamics. With the aid of systems biology techniques, it is now possible to decipher the basis of adaptation at the molecular level. These findings provide a basis for effective strain engineering designs for biotechnological applications. Additionally, advances in synthetic biology have permitted the effective coupling of non-growth-associated traits to adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE), thereby expanding the scope of ALE as a highly versatile engineering toolkit. In this chapter, we outline the growing scope of ALE and novel experimental designs proposed based on systems and synthetic biology principles.