Bridging omics technologies with synthetic biology in yeast industrial biotechnology

Metabolic engineering, defined as the practice of manipulating cells\u27 genetic and regulatory processes for improving cellular performance, has been recently integrating systems and synthetic biology with other technologies, e.g. molecular biology, physiology, biochemistry, analysis science, bioinformatics and biochemical engineering. The aim is to surmount cells\u27 performance-related limitations, e.g. metabolic limitation of cellular processes, network rigidity and global regulation, in a comprehensive, rational and high-throughput manner. Using this multi-level/integrated approach, the (re)design and (re)construction of microbial systems for the development of novel products with significant impact on current global problems, e.g. depletion of energy resources and global warming, is becoming a reality. In the last two decades, technological platforms for systems biology, e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and fluxomics, and synthetic biology approaches, e.g. synthetic biological parts, devices and systems, have been implemented and efficiently used as tools for metabolic engineering of high-value bioproducts. One successful story on how metabolic engineering has been used to enhance the synthesis of microbial-based molecules is the production of biofuels. In this review, synthetic and systems biology technologies for yeast metabolic engineering will be described in detail. In addition, two case studies related with biofuel production (ethanol and 1-butanol) in yeast S. cerevisiae will be presented