Computational approaches for smart cell creation in the bioeconomy era

Computational network modeling technology has been used in the field of systems biology mainly to elucidate disease mechanisms and cellular mechanisms, but it has never been used for microbial breeding. In order to improve the productivity of microorganisms, we have developed an improved network modeling technique, ASENET, based on structural equation modeling. The ASENET graphically represents the substance production system of host microorganisms from gene expression data as a highly accurate network model. Using this ASENET, we were able to discover new genes that control enzymes or oils produced by microorganisms, which were difficult to discover using conventional methods. In this chapter, we will discuss Smart Cells, which are new microbial hosts artificially designed by computers, and network modeling by ASENET, which is necessary for Smart Cell creation.