Synthetic gene network computational design

Concepts and tools at the basis of electrical engineering can be borrowed to assemble genetic circuits in silico. As electrical components talk to each other by means of the electron current, standard biological parts exchange information through the fluxes of functional molecules, referred to as common signal carriers. Hence, synthetic circuits can be designed by connecting biological parts with wires where signal carriers flow. In this paper we present new features and applications of our model to computationally design synthetic gene circuits. In particular, we show a new design for polycistronic transcription units and a possible implementation of an enzyme-dependent pulse-generating network.