Bricks and blueprints: methods and standards for DNA assembly

Arturo Casini; Marko Storch; Geoffrey S Baldwin; Tom Ellis

doi:10.1038/nrm4014

Bricks and blueprints: methods and standards for DNA assembly

Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2015 Sep;16(9):568-76. doi: 10.1038/nrm4014. Epub 2015 Jun 17.

Authors

Arturo Casini¹, Marko Storch¹, Geoffrey S Baldwin¹, Tom Ellis²

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
² Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.

PMID: 26081612
DOI: 10.1038/nrm4014

Abstract

DNA assembly is a key part of constructing gene expression systems and even whole chromosomes. In the past decade, a plethora of powerful new DNA assembly methods - including Gibson Assembly, Golden Gate and ligase cycling reaction (LCR) - have been developed. In this Innovation article, we discuss these methods as well as standards such as the modular cloning (MoClo) system, GoldenBraid, modular overlap-directed assembly with linkers (MODAL) and PaperClip, which have been developed to facilitate a streamlined assembly workflow, to aid the exchange of material between research groups and to create modular reusable DNA parts.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Cloning, Molecular / methods*
Endonucleases / chemistry
Genetic Engineering / methods
Genetic Engineering / standards
Recombination, Genetic
Reference Standards
Synthetic Biology

Substances

Endonucleases