Vibrio species as next-generation chassis for accelerated synthetic biology

Synthetic biology aims to establish engineering principles for biological systems by leveraging the design-build-test-learn (DBTL) cycle. Central to the success of the DBTL cycle is the selection of a suitable chassis, which is the environment in which biological designs are tested. Every step of this cycle is strongly influenced by the properties of chassis. A successful chassis must meet various criteria, prompting ongoing research regarding new candidates. Recently, species within the Vibrio genus, notably Vibrio natriegens and related strains, have emerged as promising next-generation chassis due to their rapid growth rates, versatile substrate utilization, and biosafety level 1 classification. These properties make them highly attractive for accelerating the DBTL cycle with the potential for efficient protein and metabolite production. This review emphasizes the foundational requirements for efficient engineering in synthetic biology, including genetic parts, vectors, and genome engineering technologies tailored to Vibrio species. Practical applications, such as metabolic engineering and protein expression, have been discussed, offering a comprehensive summary of recent advances. This paper also outlines the future directions and suggestions for fully unlocking the potential of Vibrio species as next-generation chassis.