Fundamental cell behavior emerges from whole cell simulations of a minimal cell by integrating experiment and theory

An overarching goal of molecular biology is to explain the basic processes of life in terms of the laws of physics and chemistry. Just as physics had studied the hydrogen atom as its simplest system to understand more complex atoms and molecules, a simplest, minimal cell would be the ideal platform to study the fundamental behavior of cellular life and expand the principles to more complex cells. JCVI-syn3A is a genetically minimal cell consisting of 493 genes, 452 of which code for proteins, on a singular 543 kbp circular chromosome.