Synthetic Genomics focuses on the construction of rationally designed chromosomes and genomes and offers novel approaches to study biology and to construct synthetic cell factories. Currently, progress in Synthetic Genomics is hindered by the inability to synthesize DNA molecules longer than a few hundred base pairs, while the size of the smallest genome of a self-replicating cell is several hundred thousand base pairs. Methods to assemble small fragments of DNA into large molecules are therefore required. Remarkably powerful at assembling DNA molecules, the unicellular eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been pivotal in the establishment of Synthetic Genomics. Instrumental in the assembly of entire genomes of various organisms in the past decade, the S. cerevisiae genome foundry has a key role to play in future Synthetic Genomics developments.

The Min biochemical network regulates bacterial cell division and is a prototypical example of self-organizing molecular systems. Cell-free assays relying on purified proteins have shown that MinE and MinD self-organize into surface waves and oscillatory patterns. In the context of developing a synthetic cell from elementary biological modules, harnessing Min oscillations might allow us to implement higher-order cellular functions. To convey hereditary information, the Min system must be encoded in a DNA molecule that can be copied, transcribed, and translated. Here, the MinD and MinE proteins are synthesized de novo from their genes inside liposomes. Dynamic protein patterns and accompanying liposome shape deformation are observed. When integrated with the cytoskeletal proteins FtsA and FtsZ, the synthetic Min system is able to dynamically regulate FtsZ patterns. By enabling genetic control over Min protein self-organization and membrane remodeling, our methodology offers unique opportunities towards directed evolution of bacterial division processes in vitro.