Inteins are proteins found in nature that execute protein splicing. Among them, split inteins stand out for their versatility and adaptability, presenting creative solutions for addressing intricate challenges in various biological applications. Their exquisite attributes, including compactness, reliability, orthogonality, low toxicity, and irreversibility, make them of interest to various fields including synthetic biology, biotechnology and biomedicine. In this review, we delve into the inherent challenges of using inteins, present approaches for overcoming these challenges, and detail their reliable use for specific cellular tasks. We will discuss the use of conditional inteins in areas like cancer therapy, drug screening, patterning, infection treatment, diagnostics and biocontainment. Additionally, we will underscore the potential of inteins in executing basic logical operations with practical implications. We conclude by showcasing their potential in crafting complex genetic circuits for performing computations and feedback control that achieves robust perfect adaptation.

中文翻译：

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内含肽：合成生物学的瑞士军刀


内含肽是自然界中发现的执行蛋白质剪接的蛋白质。其中，分裂内含子因其多功能性和适应性而脱颖而出，为解决各种生物应用中的复杂挑战提供了创造性的解决方案。它们的精致属性，包括紧凑性、可靠性、正交性、低毒性和不可逆性，使它们引起了包括合成生物学、生物技术和生物医学在内的各个领域的兴趣。在这篇综述中，我们深入研究了使用内含肽的固有挑战，提出了克服这些挑战的方法，并详细介绍了它们在特定细胞任务中的可靠用途。我们将讨论条件内含子在癌症治疗、药物筛选、模式化、感染治疗、诊断和生物防护等领域的应用。此外，我们将强调内含肽在执行具有实际意义的基本逻辑运算方面的潜力。最后，我们展示了它们在构建复杂遗传电路以执行计算和反馈控制以实现稳健完美适应方面的潜力。