Synthetic Biology Journal

   

Progress and challenges of synthetic biology in agriculture

LIU Jie1, GAO Yu1, MA Yongshuo1,2, SHANG Yi1   

  1. 1.Key Laboratory for Potato Biology of Yunnan Province,The CAAS-YNNU-YINMORE Joint Academy of Potato Science,Yunnan Normal University,Kunming 650500,Yunnan,China
    2.Department of Chemical Engineering,Massachusetts Institute of Technology,Cambridge,MA 02142,United States
  • Received:2025-06-23 Revised:2025-09-07 Published:2025-09-09
  • Contact: MA Yongshuo, SHANG Yi

合成生物学在农业中的进展及挑战

刘婕1, 郜钰1, 马永硕1,2, 尚轶1   

  1. 1.云南省马铃薯生物学重点实验室,马铃薯科学研究院,云南师范大学,云南 昆明 650500
    2.麻省理工学院化学工程系,马萨诸塞州 剑桥市,02139
  • 通讯作者: 马永硕,尚轶
  • 作者简介:刘婕(1996—),女,博士研究生。研究方向为植物天然产物在植物以及微生物的高效合成。E-mail:liujie19960901@163.com
    马永硕(1986—),男,研究员,博士生导师。研究方向为合成生物学与代谢工程。E-mail:mayongshuo2000@163.com
    尚轶(1982—),男,研究员,博士生导师。研究方向为植物次生代谢。E-mail:shangyi@ynnu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    国家自然科学基金委联合基金重点项目(U2202206);云南省“兴滇英才支持计划”云岭学者专项项目(XDYC-YLXZ-2022-0019)

Abstract:

Synthetic biology is a multidisciplinary field that has revolutionized agriculture through the engineering design and construction of novel life systems. Due to limited arable land resources, it is inevitable that soil will become polluted with heavy metals, and that pesticide and fertilizer residues will accumulate, resulting in low crop photosynthetic efficiency. Traditional agricultural production cannot meet the challenges brought by modern food demand and climate change. Compared with traditional agricultural technologies, synthetic biology offers a promising approach by integrating advanced technologies into agricultural systems, enabling more efficient and widespread solutions to global agrarian challenges. It represents a strategic high ground for addressing population growth, climate change, and promoting sustainable bioeconomic development. Synthetic biology holds the potential to enhance crop photosynthesis, optimize nitrogen fixation mechanisms, improve biological stress tolerance, increase crop yields, and optimize nutritional quality, thereby promote sustainable agricultural ecological development. The advancement of biosensor components, gene circuit design, and related technologies can boost the utilization of free nutrients such as carbon and nitrogen in crops while reducing the use of fertilizers. Additionally, combined with the design and construction of a microbial chassis factory, an environmental protection model is designed to utilize microorganisms to transform biomass by-products into healthy fertilizers, which can achieve waste resource utilization. This article reviews the development history of agricultural synthetic biology and summarizes the latest research progress of synthetic biology technologies widely used in agriculture, including gene editing technology, metabolic engineering strategies, the development of biosensor components, gene circuit design, artificial intelligence. The core application areas of synthetic biology in agriculture are elaborated upon, including improving crop yield and resource utilization, enhancing stress resistance, optimizing crop nutrition, and refining microbial interactions. Finally, the current challenges facing agricultural synthetic biology and its future development trends are discussed. The multidimensional application of synthetic biology in the agricultural sector will facilitate the circular utilization of energy and resources, effectively ensuring food security and promoting the sustainable development of agriculture in the future.

Key words: agricultural synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, gene editing, artificial intelligence, crop yield and nutrition quality, sustainable agriculture

摘要:

合成生物学通过工程化设计与新生命系统构建,为农业带来了革命性的突破。与传统农业技术相比,合成生物学汇聚农业科技领域的高新技术,可以更高效、更广泛地解决光合作用、生物固氮、作物抗逆、农业生态可持续性等世界性农业难题。合成生物学技术不仅可以提高作物产量和优化营养品质,还可以利用生物质副产物产生健康的肥料和土壤,实现废弃物资源化循环的新模式,是应对人口增加和气候变化,促进生物经济可持续发展的战略制高点。本文首先回顾了农业合成生物学的发展历程,综述了基因编辑技术、代谢工程策略、生物传感器元件开发、基因回路设计、人工智能等在农业中广泛应用的合成生物学技术的最新研究进展。随后阐述了合成生物学在农业中的核心应用,包括提高作物产量和资源利用率、增强抗逆性、作物营养强化以及改善微生物互作等方面。最后讨论了目前农业合成生物学应解决的问题以及今后的发展趋势。合成生物学在农业领域的多维应用,将有效保障粮食安全并且助力未来农业可持续发展。

关键词: 农业合成生物学, 代谢工程, 基因编辑, 人工智能, 作物产量与品质, 可持续农业

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