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In this iGEM project we addressed the question of how the minimal genome of a particular organism, E.coli, could be identified and made available in the form of minimal strain to researchers. The motivations that made the finding of a minimal genome strain appealing were two folds: the indication that in essentiality are hidden some of fundamental yet missing biological properties and the desire of providing a convinient chassis for synthetic biology. In this contest we required our ideal minimal genome to have two properties:
- to be as simple as possible, meaning as much reduced in genome size and gene content as possible
- to be vital, meaning that we were aiming for strains able to provide a reactive and productive background on which to add synthetic functionalities.
The approach we proposed was based on two main considerations. First, that the space solution of possible minimal genomes is huge and untractable without taking an heuristic approach. Second, that evolution probably worked in the contrary sense, by constructing complex organism starting from a very minimal set of genes. Combining the two concepts, we decided to take an evolutionary reductive approach. In order to do so, we had to invert two main biological mechanisms. First, losing part of the genome should made possible, while cells (for the evolution motivations discussed before) are indeed more equipped for uptaking chromosomal parts. Second, to give a fitness advantage
are two-fold and all related to the semplicity and essentiality of minimal genomes: they may lead to fundamental biological insights and be
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