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Published on: September 17, 2017
The bacterial nanorecorder: engineering E. coli to function as a chemical recording device
Prasanna Bhomkar1, Wayne Materi, David S Wishart
1National Institute for Nanotechnology, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. bhomkar@ualberta.ca
Plos One
|December 2, 2011
Summary
Scientists engineered an E. coli bacterium as a "nanorecorder." This synthetic biology tool detects and records chemical exposure events by elongating cells, with length indicating elapsed time.
Area of Science:
- Synthetic biology
- Molecular biology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Synthetic biology enables the creation of novel cellular functions using engineered genetic circuits.
- Existing genetic toggle switches can be modified for new applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a simple, inexpensive, and highly specific biological device for recording chemical exposure events.
- To create a bacterial strain capable of indicating the type and timing of chemical stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Engineered an E. coli strain using a synthetic, chemically sensitive genetic toggle switch.
- Incorporated fluorescent protein indicators (GFP, RFP) and a cell division inhibitor (minC).
- Exposed engineered cells to small molecule signals (anhydrotetracycline, IPTG) for 15-30 minutes.
Main Results:
- The synthetic genetic circuit triggered long-term, uniform cell elongation in response to chemical signals.
- Cell length was directly proportional to the time elapsed after a brief chemical exposure.
- Demonstrated a functional biological
- nanorecorder
- capable of recording chemical events.
Conclusions:
- A modified genetic toggle switch can create a robust biological nanorecorder.
- This nanorecorder can detect, respond to, and record a range of chemical stimuli over time and space.
- The E. coli nanorecorder offers a novel approach for chemical sensing and temporal event recording.
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